Era of Change
by Ethereal Bliss
Summary: The war was over. Grima gone and the Grimleal scattered, peace was imminent... Or at least that's what the Shepherds thought to themselves. Now, a new, far more sinister threat looms over the horizon and the Shepherds must make their stand... Except this time, they have no master tactician to save their hides.
1. Prologue:Angst of a Tactician's Daughter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author's Note: I recently finished the game FE: Awakening and needless to say, I was incredibly pleased with the game as a whole and all the tiny aspects within the game. As the credits rolled over the screen, I thought to myself, with Robin (The avatar) gone, how will the story further play out? How will the Shepherds be? I plan on answering my own questions through this Fanfiction. Hopefully, you enjoy.**

**And before you begin, I'd like to make a little mental note for you , dear reader. This story will slow-paced. No sudden "Ohmygod, everyone died!" No. Nothing of the sort. Just letting y'all know. If you are expecting something like that, don't bother. It helps me help you, alright? Alright. Anyway, I'm done talking here.  
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**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

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The air around camp that night was solemn and cold. The usual atmosphere of laughter and warmness was no longer present. Everyone had split off and went to their separate tents, the couples to their own. No one said anything to one another and simply kept to themselves. The barracks were quiet and empty that night.

Well, almost empty.

Morgan sat by herself on the wooden bench, twiddling her thumbs. Her various tomes lay scattered across the table and her steel sword, half-sheathed, lay askew. Normally, her mother Lucina or someone like Miriel would come by and nag at her to clean up after herself. But today just wasn't one of the those days.

Today was a landmark in Shepherd achievement and, if pressed further, would definitely be marked in the pages of history. The Shepherds had endured the waves of Grimleal forces and battled their way to the vile dragon, Grima. In a monumental moment, King and Captain Chrom weakened the enemy while Morgan's father, Robin, dealt the final blow. It was truly an earth-shattering moment to see the very creature that brought so much angst and suffering for millenniums to be taken down.

But such victories come at a price.

Robin's soul was intertwined with that of Grima's as they are the same being in different forms. If one were to die, the other would surely perish. The divine dragon, Naga, had warned her father about the result but he still chose to end Grima's life with his own hands and, in turn, effectively end his own.

Morgan knew that there was no other way. If her father hadn't dealt the final blow, Grima would resurrect after a several centuries only repeating the cycle again and again. It was now or never… and her father knew what he had to do. However, deep inside of her, Morgan wished that her father didn't deliver the final blow. If he hadn't, he would be with her and everyone else. He would still be alive.

_Was he too rash?... Was there another way to defeat Grima…?_

Morgan pondered the question throughout her head continuously as she and Shepherds marched back to camp. Before that, she was too bewildered to even think. Captain Chrom had carried her partway back to camp because of that. But still, the question lingered on.

_Could there have been another way to defeat Grima?_

Divine Naga had made it perfectly clear that Grima had to be killed by his own hand and Robin was the effective catalyst. No one else possessed the Fell Dragon's blood to do so. Even with what the Divine had said, even with what her father had done, Morgan still held her doubts.

"There has to be something... SOMETHING we could've done… Something I could've done…" Morgan said as she flipped through her many tomes.

Magic was a go-to solution in many of the predicaments presented throughout the land. It could be possible that a tome that utilized the Fell Dragon could exist… And then again, it could not.

Morgan shut her tome and let out an anguished sigh. She knew that even if she had found such a tome, it would be too late. Grima was gone and so was her father. A tome that was made of Grima's power would be useless. And besides, she wasn't going to find anything related to that matter by flipping through a Thoron tome. She fell back into her seat and slumped her head on the table.

Amidst these tomes, her father may have been able to conjure up something, being the genius he was. She had never seen anyone like her father. The gleam in his eyes when he was confronted by a problem, the confidence in his unwavering voice, Morgan wanted to be like that. Morgan had strived so hard to be on the same level as her father that she had forgotten her true intentions of why she studied so hard.

And even now, she questioned herself. She had spent so much time trying to be like her father that she ended up not knowing what kind of person her father exactly was. And in her mind, the only imprint he had left was the ever-present genius who she could never live up to.

Morgan wanted to cry but no tears came. Morgan wanted to sob but no words sounded. Morgan wanted to be in her father's embrace just once more but he was gone.

The only thing that had embraced her was the perpetual emptiness that had now been carved deeply inside of her.

**END OF CHAPTER.**

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**(A/N): So short. I'm sorry. But don't worry folks, the story is just beginning. Hopefully, you enjoyed this insufficient piece as much as I had conjuring it. **

**Until next time,**

**~SAYONARA~**


	2. Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author's Note:****I'm so excited to write once again. I think I'm going to aim for short chapters once a week or twice if I'm lucky... But anywho! This story is just getting started! Expect more, much more. If you have any questions, just PM me. And now, here's the stuff you came for. Please enjoy.**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

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Lucina sat quietly on her bedside, her arms wrapped around her legs. She hadn't changed her outfit from the day before and still wore her battered armor. She had forgotten how long she had sat there, in that very position. She simply stared at the patch of emptiness along the side of the tent, her eyes tracing over the fabric. Even though she stared at the tent, her mind lay elsewhere.

Even in the bleak future she had escaped from, she never such loneliness.

Robin was gone, she had to accept that. He gave his life for the greater good and Lucina knew what had to be done. Still, she missed him terribly. His clever jokes at night, his laughter, him...

Lucina sighed as she looked at the bed behind her. It was still cleanly made, relatively untouched. She could still picture herself, within Robin's arms, lying in that bed with him. It was one of the few things that made her genuinely happy with her life throughout the war. In the future, everyone she had really cared for always wound up dead. And once people started to fall, Lucina closed her heart from the world.

But here, it was different.

She had finally met someone that she could open up to. Someone she grew attached to. And that person was Robin. Robin had promised her, the day he proposed that he would never leave her side. That he would be with her till the day he stopped breathing. And she really believed him.

Except now, that breath, that very life... was gone.

It was a noble deed, what Robin did. Lucina knew that Robin made the right decision for the world and the generations to come. The least Lucina could do was to make sure that Robin's decision wasn't in vain.

What else could she have done?

If she had broken down on the battlefield as Robin had made his final choice, how much worse would have Morgan handled the situation? Lucina saw her daughter break down completely as Morgan saw her father disappear into the wind. It took Gaius and Sir Frederick to keep Morgan from running towards her father. And that was a painful sight for her to watch, Lucina knew that she had to keep a steadfast heart for the sake of the Shepherds... and herself.

She had to...

...

From where she was sitting, Lucina could see faint shimmers of light protrude through the tent entrance.

_It's far too early for daylight..._

Then, she heard the crackling of firewood and the snaps of dry bark. Someone must have started the campfire for the beginning of dawn. And if Lucina remembered correctly, today would have been her turn for firewood duty.

She stood up from the bed and picked up her cloak from the stool. She fastened it over her shoulder and straightened it out. She went to her bedside and blew out the lantern quickly. And when she finally got to the door, she sighed.

_Robin and I were supposed to go get firewood today..._

Lucina would give anything for just one more second with him... But there were a lot of moments she would have given something for another... Or at least that's what she told herself.

Lucina stepped through the flaps of the tent and made it out to the campgrounds. It was still incredibly dark. Lanterns were still hung on the wooden posts to give light. Several soldiers were still on their guard shifts and patrolled the grounds. When they came by, they gave a respectful bow to Lucina before resuming their posts. Lucina briskly moved along, the cold morning air snipping at her from beneath her cloak.

When she approached the campfire, Lucina already saw someone busily loading the firewood pile with extra wood. At first, Lucina assumed that Sir Frederick had started the morning process early like he would normally he do. But as she got closer, Lucina could see that the person wasn't wearing armor.

_So it can't be Sir Frederick._

When Lucina finally reached the fire, she got a better look at the person. He hadn't even noticed she was there. His Killing Edge rested in its black sheath by a tree stump that usually doubled as a seat.

It was Lon'qu.

Lucina quickly unfastened her cloak and set it down on a log. She went to the pile of firewood.

"Here, let me help." She said.

Lon'qu glanced over at her and he gave a sudden jolt as if he had seen a ghost. But he looked back and regained his composure. He let out a relieved breath.

"O-oh, it's you, Lucina."

Lucina nodded. "Yes... Did you do this all by yourself?"

Lon'qu briefly turned his head towards her and then at the firewood he was stacking. He shook his head.

"Frederick and Panne were working on this as I came out. They asked if I could take over for them."

"So where did Sir Frederick and Lady Panne head off to?"

"The woods I think." Lon'qu said, pointing his thumb towards the mass of trees that loomed over the camp. "They went to take a walk."

Lucina and Lon'qu piled the remaining wood onto the pile. They finished rather quickly. Lucina dusted her hands and went back to the log to pick up her cloak. She saw that Lon'qu had sat down on the stump and stoked the fire with the sheath of his sword. The embers flickered into the dawn sky.

"Aren't you going to head back Lon'qu?" Lucina asked, re-donning her cloak. "It's still a couple good hours before sunrise..."

Lon'qu shook his head and continued to tend the fire without another word.

Lucina sighed and turned around. She walked slowly back to her tent. Lon'qu was a particular member of the "adults" circle. For one, he had a crippling case of gynophobia and wilted around the presence of women... well, almost all the women. He behaved like he normally would around his wife Cordelia and all the other children.

_Lon'qu was a close friend of Robin..._ Lucina thought. _I hope he's holding up alright..._

As Lucina was just about to enter her tent, she heard the clinking of armor and the padded sound of footsteps. She turned and saw her father emerge from his tent, still wearing his armor as well. He was walking down the dirt path towards the campfire.

Lucina quickly stepped out and approached her father. When he came close, Lucina bowed.

"Good morning father."

"Relax Lucina." Her father Chrom said as he raised his hand to greet her. "I thought I told you not to be so uptight."

"I-I'm sorry father." Lucina said, slightly lowering her head.

"You don't need to apologize." Chrom said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her towards him. He ruffled through her hair softly. In that moment, Lucina felt all of her troubles and worries wash away.

"Walk with me Lucina." Chrom said, motioning her to follow him.

"Yes, father."

The two walked down the dirt path, the quietness of camp still surrounding them.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright father."

Chrom looked at her, a concerned look spread across his face. "Really Lucina. You don't have to lie around me and pretend to be strong. You can tell me the truth... Are you alright?"

Lucina sighed. "I... I miss Robin terribly..."

Chrom put his arm around her shoulder. "So do I Lucy... So do I."

Lucina turned her face into her father's shoulder and let out a whimper. A tear rolled down her face and onto Chrom's shoulder sleeve.

"It's okay to cry Lucina. It's okay."

A single tear turned into a torrent as Lucina emptied her emotional burdens onto her father's shoulder. She simply let everything go in that very moment.

Chrom felt his shoulder dampen from the sheer amount of tears his daughter cried. Chrom patted her shoulder gently, embracing her tighter. Soon, all the whimpers and soft cries stopped.

"Lucina?"

Chrom pulled her slightly from his shoulder and saw that his daughter had passed out. A single tear rested on her cheek. Chrom sighed as he wiped the tear away with his gloved finger. He then lifted Lucina into his arms and carried her back to her tent. He gently laid her on the cleanly made bed and put his own cloak on top of her. Chrom brushed a strand of hair out of Lucina's face and looked at her sadly.

"I can't imagine what you are going through Lucy..." Chrom whispered.

He then turned and left the tent.

Outside, he saw Frederick walk towards him, Panne at his side.

"Ah, Frederick. Good morning."

Frederick bowed. Panne followed suit.

"Good morning milord." Frederick said.

"Quite early to be strolling isn't it?"

"Starting the day early is merely another aspect of knighthood milord."

Chrom saw Panne roll her eyes.

"Is there anything of service you require of me?" Frederick asked.

Chrom thought for a moment. In the light of recent events, something should be held in order to discuss the next moves of the Shepherds.

"Wake everyone up." Chrom ordered.

"Yes, milord."

"It's about time the Shepherds finally met again in council."

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**(A/N): I am very fortunate to be able to publish this chapter so early. Well, hopefully you enjoyed it. Leave a review or such. It really helps me and I sincerely appreciate it. Well, thanks again. As I said earlier, expect more!**

**Until next time,**

**~SAYONARA~**


	3. Chapter 2: In Need of Council

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author's Note:**** Here we are again! Another chapter. It should be approximately the same length as the last one. (I usually go for 3000-4000 words a chapter but I don't think that's appropriate.) But what do you guys suggest? Should I do more words per chapter and less updates or less words and frequent updates? Oh, by the way, in FE: Awakening, there are certain maps you can play (Not DLC) that allows you to gain bonus characters (I.E Basilio and Flavia). Should I include those characters? Let me know. Anyway, enough me talking. Here's the stuff you came for.**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

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Inigo felt someone roughly shaking his shoulder as he lay in his cot, trying to go back to sleep. He tried pushed the hand away but the shaking still persisted. He pulled his blanket over his head, hoping that it'll dissuade whoever was shaking him. It didn't. Inigo groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes groggily.

"What the heck is going on?..." Inigo said aloud. The moment his blanket left his torso, he was embraced by the cool air of early morning. "Why so early..."

"Wake up." A stern voice commanded him. It sounded as if the person who was talking to him was going to take no nonsense. Inigo should have known better not to talk back. But he did anyway.

Still having his eyes closed, he replied, "I'd honestly rather not."

There was an awkward silence that lasted for a several long seconds. Inigo opened his eyes and felt as if someone poured cold water all over his back because he started to shiver.

It was Sir Frederick standing in front of him, fully suited in his armor, arms folded. He did not look amused.

"Ah!" Inigo said, jumping out of his cot and onto his feet as he quickly readied himself. "S-Sir Frederick! Fine morning, isn't it?"

Frederick stared at the boy sternly. "I'd be more concerned with your situation than the weather if I were you."

Inigo forced a fake grin. His teeth began to chatter. "Y-yes! Of course! I'll be sure to do that."

Frederick picked up a cloak from a nearby stool and tossed it towards Inigo. Inigo caught it between his shivering hands.

"We have a council meeting soon." Frederick said as he marched out the tent flaps. "Don't be late."

"Y-yes sir." Inigo said amidst his shivering.

Frederick exited the tent. Inigo could hear his armor clinking away and into someone else's tent to further repeat the grueling process of waking up early. Inigo let out an annoyed sigh as he wrapped the coat around himself. He sat at his bedside and began to put on his boots.

_What a way to begin the morning... _Inigo thought to himself.

Starting a morning early was one thing. But starting a cold, early morning AND being scolded by Sir Frederick was a completely different matter. To be completely honest, Sir Frederick terrified Inigo. The disarming smile, his non-nonsense attitude, his blunt humor... they all sent chills down Ingio's spine.

Inigo finished tying the last the knot on his boots and stood up. He briefly approached the mirror and looked at himself. He saw that his hair was a little on the flat side. Remembering Sir Frederick's words, Inigo did not dare to fix his hair with all the cosmetic products he had that stood neatly across in front of the mirror. Instead, he simply pulled a hood over his head and hid his messy hair. Looking at himself once more, he smiled.

"Still me." He said, grinning at himself. "The one, the only Ini-"

"If you're done getting ready, hurry up and get out. There's no time for self-introductory monologues."

Inigo felt as if someone slapped him in the face, the same feeling that came to him when someone caught him dancing. He looked at the tent flaps and peeked his hooded head through the entrance. Next to a barrel by the front, Inigo saw a masked figure standing ominously. His cape rode along the morning breeze.

"Come on, we don't have much time."

"Alright, alright." Inigo said, stepping out of his tent. The brisk, morning coolness felt like a punch to the stomach. Inigo looked over at the horizon and could see the tiny rays of sunlight barely creeping over the extending tree branches. Inigo walked toward the meeting hall.

"Do you ever take that mask off Gerome?" Inigo asked the masked man. Feeling the ever present coolness, Inigo wrapped himself in his cloak tightly.

Gerome, always masked, looked at him annoyed. His silver hair flayed along with the wind.

"Does it matter?"

Inigo groaned. "Forget I asked... Did someone send you to get me?"

Gerome nodded as he walked along briskly. Inigo noticed that Gerome had his lance harnessed to his back.

"Who?" Inigo asked.

"Sir Frederick." Gerome said, matter-of-factly.

Inigo felt the blood in his face drain away. _Oh no..._

As they approached the hall, Inigo saw someone standing outside the doors. She had long pink hair that was tied at her head. She was loosely garbed in black pants and a thin white shirt.

"Oh! Inigo! I was wondering when you were going to show up." She said cheerfully.

It was Olivia, Inigo's mother.

One of the best cooks in the army and a top-notch dancer, his mother was rather the inspiration. Inigo knew he could take some lessons from her someday.

"Good morning mom." Inigo said as he waved to his mother. "Isn't it a bit too cold to be wearing something so... revealing?"

Olivia's face turned bright red. "O-oh!... I didn't notice... Living in Regna Ferox, you get use to this kind of cold... Perhaps I should go change..."

Inigo waved his hands. "N-no, that's not what I meant! I was just worried that you might be cold, that's all!"

"Aw, how sweet of you~"

Inigo laughed nervously.

"The meeting's starting soon, Inigo." Olivia said, making her way through the wooden doors. "I'll see you inside."

Inigo nodded in reply as the door closed behind him. Gerome stood in front of him, gazing at the sky. Inigo walked towards him and tapped him on the shoulder. Gerome looked at him.

"Aren't you going to attend the meeting?" Inigo asked.

Gerome shook his head. "It's my turn to go hunting today for the camp. Have to make sure there's food enough for everyone."

Inigo raised his eyebrow. "By yourself?"

"No, Virion is helping me."

"Oh." Inigo said. "Y'know, you should still call your parents by what they are rather than their names..."

"I don't want to hear it."

Inigo shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Just saying... Yo-"

The doors behind him slammed open and Inigo heard someone step out.

"Are you just going to stand there or come in Inigo?" A stern voice said, directing it towards him.

Inigo turned and saw Sir Frederick standing in the doorway.

"Meeting is going to start."

Inigo nodded. "I'll be there in a min-"

"NOW."

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Inigo obliged and nodded. He waddled his way towards the door and into the meeting hall. Frederick closed the doors behind him.

"I thought I made it clear to you not to be late. What were you do-"

Inigo raised his hand. "Sir, if I may."

"What is it?" Frederick asked gruffly.

"We have a meeting to attend." Inigo said. "You're gonna make us both late."

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"A new tactician?"

Chrom, arms folded in front of him, nodded his head. "Yes. I believe that the Shepherds are in need of a new tactician. In the light of... recent events..."

The atmosphere in the meeting hall grew sullen as everyone exchanged solemn glances with one another.

"I know that many of you are still aren't over what happened yesterday. I get that." Chrom said, rising from his seat. "But we need to accept that Robin did the right thing. And in order to make sure that Robin's decision wasn't in vain is to get rid of the scattered Grimleal. And the only way to do that is to acquire someone who commandeer this unit proficiently and efficiently."

Cordelia rose from her seat. "But where are we going to find someone that can do that? Robin was a genius, that was obvious. He knew the Shepherds well and he had his way with us that only we as the Shepherds could know of."

Vaike stood up from his seat. "I agree with Miss Genius over there. And you can take it from Ol' Teach himself. Robin knew the stuff he was doing. How will we know if this new tactician we are going to hire can manage that?"

A murmur rose among the seated Shepherds as they conversed amongst themselves.

"If you look at the battle records and victories," Laurent said, pulling several rolls of paper from his satchel. "You'll see that Robin has had the most highest success rate among all the tacticians that came before him. There wasn't a single mission Robin failed while he was in command of the Shepherds."

"No one can replace Robin..." Tharja muttered.

"... Damn right. No one can replace Robin..."

"... Yeah, he knew what he was doing..."

The Shepherds had the unanimous opinion that no tactician, no matter how brilliant, could match the prowess and skill of Robin. Chrom couldn't help but agree on the inside but he knew matters had to be taken into account. He closed his eyes and thought to himself. Frederick stood at his side.

"Is everything alright milord?" Frederick asked, crouching over.

Chrom nodded. He cleared his throat and looked at his Shepherds. They all became quiet.

"I understand where all of you are coming from and I completely agree with you. No one can replace Robin. That won't change... However, the fact that no one can replace Robin does not change the reality that the Grimleal are still wandering the fields of Ylisse. And I won't rest until they are all dealt with."

"That's true..." Stahl mused, running his hand through his olive-colored hair.

"Gregor thinks that Robin would want us to get new Tactician." Gregor quipped.

The murmur among the crowd rose again. Everyone looked at each other and discussed the matter with one another.

"What do you suggest doing Captain Chrom?" Say'ri asked, narrowing her eyes.

Frederick handed Chrom a map. Chrom laid it out on the meeting table. He pointed his finger at a certain location on the map.

"Our base camp is set up here right now." Chrom said, tapping his finger on the locale. "If we head up this trail and walk a few miles, we are bound for Southtown."

"Why there?" Say'ri asked.

"Southtown is famous for its pubs and inns." Chrom said. "Traveling sellswords and sometimes brilliant minds find rest here."

"Finding a tactician in a bar sounds like a slim chance to me..." Say'ri said. "Why not any from your capital?"

"Chrom doesn't like dealing with bureaucrats and all those snobby high heads in Ylisstol." Lissa said, jumping in. "Spend one day in the High Council and you'll understand why."

"So is it settled then?" Chrom said, looking at the Shepherds sitting before him. "We are going to Southtown to find ourselves a tactician."

Everyone exchanged glances with one another. A general murmur spread through them although no out rightly disagreed.

"Alright then. Southtown it i-"

"Why not Morgan?"

Everyone turned their eyes to look at the person who said those three words. All their eyes landed upon Inigo who still had his hood on.

"Morgan?" Chrom asked.

"Well, yeah." Inigo said, matter-of-factly. "She's cute, she's brilliant, she's a Shepherd, and, for crying out loud, she's Robin's daughter."

Everyone began to talk amongst themselves again.

"... Yeah, we have Morgan with us..."

"... Huh, I forgot that we do..."

"... Where is she anyway?..."

Inigo felt someone jabbing his side with their elbow. He looked at who it was and saw that it was Kjelle. She glared at him menacingly.

"We're in a council meeting you dolt." Kjelle whispered furiously. "Keep your extra comments to yourself."

"All I said was that Morgan was cute." Inigo replied.

"That's the point."

"Don't be jealous that you're not." Inigo shot back.

"Why you-"

"Hey!" Inigo looked up and saw it was Sully who yelled at them.

"Shut up." Sully said adamantly.

"Are you kids done talking?" Chrom asked, calling from his end of the table.

Inigo and Kjelle nodded.

"Inigo." Chrom asked.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you think it's a good idea to ask Morgan to become the Shepherds' Tactician? On such short notice, too. That girl has been through a lot, probably more than all of us here. She lost her father right before her eyes and now, if we ask her to fill in for Robin, how would that make her feel?"

"I-I..."

"I know you meant well when you said that." Chrom said, sitting back down in his seat. "But you have to be able to think the situation through before you make such turbulent decisions."

"Yes sir."

"That reminds me..." Chrom said to himself. "Where's Morgan?"

The Shepherds looked at themselves and shrugged. They didn't have a clue either.

"No matter, we'll have to find her later." Chrom said, rolling the map away.

"Who are we going to send to Southtown?" Gaius asked, his lollipop still in his mouth. Nowi rested on his shoulders but he seemed unbothered.

"I'm going." Chrom said. "If the face of the Shepherds is present, it'll make our endeavors quite easier."

"Won't we need someone that can test the tactician?" Miriel suggested. "We'll need someone who has the brainpower to deduce whether our newly hired tactician can fit their role."

"And clearly," Cherche stated, looking around at the Shepherds. "That kind of power is something we lack right now."

"... Who should we send?..."

"... You should go Lon'qu..."

"G-get your hands off of me woman!"

Suddenly, the meeting hall doors slammed open. Light flooded the hall. Everyone shielded their eyes from the sudden flooding of light. In the doorway, a lone figure stood, their silhouette like black ink on white parchment. Soon, the light's piercing shine diminished, returning everyone's sight back to normal.

The figure spoke.

"Why didn't anyone tell me there was a meeting today?" The person said, rubbing her eyes groggily and yawning. "I was in the barracks the entire time..."

It was Morgan.

When she opened her eyes, she found that everyone was staring at her.

"What's going on?"

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**(A/N): Aaaand, another chapter is over. While I was writing this, I had so much interruptions... (I.E: High School drama, family issues, hunger pangs, etc.) So, this chapter may seem lacking. I'd like to apologize. But anyway, hopefully, you enjoyed it! PM me if you have any questions or whatnot! Thanks for reading!**

**Until Next Time,**

**~SAYONARA~**


	4. Chapter 3: To Seek a Champion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author****'****s Note: Here we go. Another chapter. As mentioned before, this story will be rather slow-paced. But bear with me. Once it gets there, you'll see. But anywho, thanks for reading my story guys. Leave a review or question or whatnot. It helps me help you. Well, I'm done talking. Here's the stuff you came for. Enjoy.**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

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"I understand that you needed Morgan..."

"..."

"But why am I out here?!"

Inigo ran his through his messy hair as beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks. The hot, bright sun beat down on his back and he could feel the back of his tunic dampening from sweat. He hated that feeling the most... Probably a little less than being jabbed by Kjelle... But no matter.

Morgan turned around, walking backwards, and faced Inigo. "Why? You don't want to be with me?"

"W-well..." Inigo stammered, averting his eyes from Morgan's. "I... Uh..."

"Tharja has told me that you regularly visit Southtown during evenings." Chrom said, jumping into the conversation. "From that information, I assume that you could guide us around town if need be."

Morgan looked at Inigo, eyes gleaming. "Yeah! That'll help a lot!... Because I don't know anything about Southtown..."

Inigo scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "I-I guess?"

"Why do you visit Southtown so much?" Morgan asked, clearly piqued with curiosity. "Don't you have other things you do?"

"I, uh..." Inigo said, his train of thought fleeting his mind. "I come to Southtown to see..."

"See what? Who?"

"...Girls."

"Girls."

"Yep."

"Why?" Morgan asked, intrigued. "Aren't the girls back at camp good enough?"

"Um." Inigo said his face turning beet-red. "Let me give you several reasons why..."

"Go on."

"Cynthia is klutz. I'll probably break every bone in my body before I actually went on a date with her."

"Kjelle is a demon. If looks could kill..."

"Nah is too uptight. She's no fun."

"Noire is too shy. She avoids me..."

"Severa is... Well, unapproachable..."

"And Lucina is taken..."

Morgan raised her eyebrow. "My mom?"

Chrom turned too. "My daughter?!"

"Well, yeah." Inigo said, rubbing the back of his head. "I've had a crush on her since I was young..."

"Really? My mom?" Morgan asked, somewhat intrigued.

"Really? My daughter?!" Chrom said, somewhat mortified.

"You forget that she and I are the same age Captain." Inigo muttered.

"Well so am I." Morgan pointed out.

"Huh... You're right." Inigo said. "Anyway, that's all I have to say about the girls at our camp..."

Inigo saw Morgan think for a moment. It was the usual face she made when she had more to say. Inigo wondered what she was going say next.

"What about me?"

"Huh?" Inigo blurted, confused. "What about you?"

"You were talking about the girls at camp..." Morgan began to say. "But you didn't say anything about me."

Inigo's face turned red yet again. "Oh, right..."

"So...?" Morgan said, grinning and her eyes beaming. "What about me?"

"Well... Uh..." Inigo said, many things swimming in his head. He didn't know what to say.

_Well this is awkward..._

"You're uh... Smart...?" Inigo managed to say.

"That's it?"

"Um..." Inigo sounded, trying to think of something clever to say. So many answers raced across in his mind. He didn't know what to say.

"Yeah?"

Morgan stuck out her lip and continued walking. "Oh."

Inigo felt as if he had been gut-punched and his brain snapped into two.

"Yes! I mean, no! I... Gods." Inigo stammered. "Look Morgan, you're Lucina's daughter. With that in mind and with the future age gap... it's just... I can't talk about you-"

Morgan shook her head and sighed. "It's fine. I get it... And I was starting to think that we had interesting guys back at camp... Oh well."

_Great job Inigo. You blew it. You blew the first chance you had with a cute girl. You blew it. You blew it. You bl-_

"If you two lovebirds are done back there," Chrom said, stopping and turning around. He looked incredibly annoyed. "We need to get moving. We need to at least get to Southtown before sundown and at the way you two are going, we aren't going to arrive until next week."

Both Inigo's and Morgan's face turned red. "S-sorry Captain."

"Come on. Let's get going."

Inigo sighed and shuffled his feet. He wondered what was wrong with himself lately. Normally, he'd be able to swoon the ladies as easily as Virion scared them away. Inigo would smile, introduce himself, and go from there. He didn't know why it was so difficult with Morgan... But then again, it was quite hard with her mother Lucina as well...

_Lucina was just so... serious._

"Inigo?"

"Huh?"

He turned and saw that Morgan was walking next to him still.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me about Southtown a little bit? Like I said, I actually never ventured beyond camp with anyone before."

Inigo managed a small smirk. "Well. You've got a lot to learn."

Morgan grinned. "That's fine with me."

_But at least Morgan smiles more._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"This is it. Southtown."

Morgan could not believe her eyes.

Before her lay a massive town, inhabited by interesting people and equally interesting buildings. There was so much variety before, Morgan didn't know what to focus on at first. Various shops lined the streets, selling a surplus of supplies. Vendors advertised their goods to all passing onlookers. Blacksmiths showed off their wares with pride. A delicious scent had also managed its way into Morgan's senses.

_This sure beats the camp's meat rations..._

Morgan saw Chrom walk up to Inigo.

"Was Southtown like everywhere else in the future?" Morgan overheard.

Morgan saw Inigo stiffly nod his head. "The risen were relentless with their attacks. All villages in Ylisse were burnt to ground. Only Ylisstol stood out the many sieges but it too fell with Grima's rise."

"Well, we won't have to worry about that anymore..." Chrom said, looking around Southtown. "Not after..."

His voice trailed off. Morgan couldn't hear the rest of what Chrom had to say. She took one last view at the center plaza of the town.

"Well?" Morgan asked, walking over to Chrom and Inigo. "What are we suppose to do now?"

Chrom folded his arms. "Our purpose of being out here today is to recruit another Shepherd. Southtown is well known for its many taverns and pubs. Many adventurers and sellswords find rest here."

"And where do we find a good tavern?" Morgan asked. Her eyes darted around the many buildings. "What is a tavern anyway?"

Chrom rested his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about that. That's why we have him."

He pointed at Inigo.

"Ugh."

"What was that?"

"N-nothing!" Inigo said, forcing a smile. "I'm just excited!"

"Good. We'll start with all the pubs on the left lane."

"Ugh."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**MANY TAVERNS LATER...**_

"I don't know what we've been doing wrong, but I know that if we are already on our eleventh tavern, SOMETHING is wrong."

"Oh hush you."

"Says you! You keep beating everyone at chess!"

"Not my fault that they make the wrong moves."

The three had went through all the taverns on the entire south side of the town and were halfway through with the west district. The process was supposed to be simple. All taverns have a chessboard. Customers will usually play against someone, betting and such on money and other trinkets. And so far, everyone Morgan played against was a blunder after another. She had won so many times, she had forgotten how she had won each time. Inigo on the other hand kept a good tracking list of all the prizes Morgan had won.

Money here, several bullions there, an expensive ring there...

"This is the last pub on this side of the street." Chrom muttered, making his way to the counter. "I think I'm going to get a drink."

"Wait, hold on!" Inigo said to Chrom, grabbing his shoulder. "You can't get drunk on the job Captain!"

"Who says I can't?" Chrom said, shooting a sharp glance back at Inigo. "I'm the one giving orders here, not you pipsqueak."

"Well, I don't want to have to carry you back to camp." Inigo replied. "And besides, what will Lady Sumia and Sir Frederick think when they see you, the Exalt of Ylisse, coming back to Shepherds, drunk off his feet?"

"I won't get THAT drunk." Chrom said. Inigo saw that he sort of shuddered at the mention of Sumia. "I'll drink with moderation."

Inigo was about to say something else until he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned and saw Morgan. Her face told Inigo not to press the matter any further.

"Once Captain sets his mind on something, there's no stopping him." Morgan whispered.

Inigo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Figures... He married Sumia during the first war against Plegia after all."

Morgan nodded.

"He's like your dad."

"Huh?"

"Chrom and your dad. The two have that same flame when they want to do something... albeit for different reasons..." Inigo said, looking at Chrom order a drink. Inigo looked back at Morgan and realized what he had just said. "Oh shoot! I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine..." Morgan said. "But do you really think so?"

"You kidding?! That IS so." Inigo said. "There's no denying Robin's- I mean your dad- ambitious personality... I mean, he won Lucina's heart..."

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"N-no!" Inigo stammered, his face reddening.. He quickly turned away and looked around the establishment. "Anyway, we're here because we have a task to do. C'mon!"

He walked around the pub. Morgan quickly followed after him.

"You know what Inigo?"

"What?"

"You're so cute when you are flustered."

"I'd rather be called cute over OTHER matters."

Morgan took a brief look around the pub. Not much was going on. Many seats were empty and the few that were occupied were taken by commoners, not battle folk. It seemed as if this pub was a bust too.

"Anything interesting?" Inigo asked Morgan.

"Not particularly, no..." Morgan said.

Until something caught her eye.

Over in the far corner of the pub, there were two individuals sitting at a table, huddled over the top. They seemed deeply focused on whatever was on the top the table. They didn't have a crowd around them like the matches in other taverns but Morgan was curious to see what was going on. She walked over to the table and sure enough, the two men were playing chess. And white was in trouble.

Black had just taken White's queen and he was left him only with his rook and bishop. Black had three pawns and a rook and had the White king pinned down on the left side of the board.

"Ya better give up and fork over ye bullion over to me." The player of black said, his face eager and intent of winning. He was a big fellow, cropped black hair and slight formation of wrinkles in his face. He looked like a weary traveler. He seemed to be the older one among the two.

"The battle isn't lost until you use up all of your options." The other man, the player of White, said. He had long silver hair that covered much of his face and he was wearing a black robe-like coat. Looking at his face closely, Morgan could see the faint edge of a scar that lined his cheek.

"Tell you what." Black said. "Give up now, and I'll only take half of your offer from earlier."

White looked at him, his face annoyed. "My stance won't change. I'm not giving up."

Black shrugged his shoulders. "Have it your way then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Morgan took a close look at the board. Black did have a point. It would be rather difficult for White to win. Morgan had no idea how the game came to be like this. White's king was on A4, his bishop on H4, and his rook on G1.

Black's king was on B8, his rook on A7, one pawn on B7, another pawn on A6, and the last pawn on A5.

It was White's turn.

White moved his rook straight up to G8.

"Check." White said.

Black chuckled. "Scare tactics, eh? Ain't gonna work on me mate."

Black moved his king to C7.

Then, White moved his bishop to D8. Directly diagonal from the black king.

"Why did he just do that?" Inigo asked, whispering into Morgan's ear.

"Just like Black said. It's a scare tactic, but it's a clever one."

"How so? That bishop can be killed by the King."

Morgan shook her head. "Not so simple Inigo. Look over there."

"Huh?"

Inigo saw Morgan point at the rook on G8. "If the black king takes that bishop, that'll put him in the line of danger with that rook. Or in other words, that'll be putting himself in check and that would be an illegal move."

"So it's bait?"

"Not quite." Morgan said. "Bait is something used to lure an enemy into unknown danger. In this case, the danger is clearly visible. That bishop is protected by the rook. Black king can't take bishop with getting a check."

"So the black king can't take the bishop because of the rook... and he can't go back to where he moved from because the rook is there."

"Exactly. So the only logical option left is to evade the enemy." Morgan said.

And that was exactly what black did. Morgan had noticed a sharp distinction in Black's demeanor from earlier. The pompous confidence from before subsided. Morgan could see the anxiety spread over his face.

"Huh, I see that you are still persisting on those tactics." Black said. "No matter. The same tactic can be beaten by the same solution."

Black moved his king to C6.

Then white did something unthinkable.

He moved his bishop to B6. Right next to the black king.

"Why would he do that?" Inigo asked. "Why is he risking his bishop?"

Morgan couldn't understand him either. "I don't know either... Now that bishop is no longer protected by the rook."

Black saw the move and was filled with confidence again. "Something wrong with that head of yours? Or are you willing to lose to me?"

White didn't say anything.

"Well, I thank you for your bishop."

The black king took the bishop. Black king was now on B6.

White had two pieces left. Black didn't lose any.

"Your move white."

White moved his rook to C8.

"Now this is a tough spot." Morgan said.

"How so?" Inigo asked.

"White made his move. His rook is on C8."

"Yeah, I see that. But what's wrong?"

"What's wrong is the fact that black has to make a move."

"Huh?... Wait a minute."

Inigo took a look at the board. And Morgan was right.

The three pawns were still locked in their places at A6, A5, B7. They couldn't move backwards. The black king was B6. The white king was at A4. The black king couldn't move down because of the rule of chess. King have to a square apart from each other in all directions. The black king couldn't move right to C6 either. That put his king in danger. The only piece that was free was the black rook at A7.

And that was straight onto A8.

Right in the white rook's range.

Black reluctantly made the move to move his rook to A8 and as expected, the white rook took it.

"H-how... how did you..."

White didn't say another word. He stood up, took his winnings and left the table. The Black player looked at a loss of words.

"But that wasn't a checkmate..." Inigo said."

Morgan nodded. "It wasn't, it was a stalemate. But according to the worth of pieces, white wins."

"Huh?"

"Pawns equal one point each. Black has three points. Kings don't accumulate points."

"Uh huh."

"Rooks are worth five. White has one rook. And therefore, he wins by that standpoint."

Inigo rubbed the back of his head. "Darn... This whole chess thing is so overwhelming for me..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Morgan said, looking around. "That's because it's you, Inigo."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Never mind that." Morgan said. "Remember what Captain Chrom told us?"

"Huh?"

"He told us to bring the winner of a chess match to him." Morgan said, pacing her way across the sea of tables.

"Wait." Inigo said, following her. "That guy didn't even beat you! I don't know if that even qualifies!"

"Just shut up and help me look for him, alright?"

Inigo and Morgan ran out of the pub and took a quick look around. They looked for a man garbed in a black cloak with long silver hair. And no one on the street filled that description.

"Why do you want that guy so bad?" Inigo asked, his eyes scanning the street ahead of him. "His chess skill?"

"It's more than that..." Morgan said. "Gods, I don't even see him anymore."

Inigo sighed and rested his arm on Morgan's shoulder. "Either way, Chrom isn't going to be happy with this."

"I'm not going to be happy with what?"

Inigo and Morgan turned simultaneously. They saw Chrom walk out from the pub doors, wiping his mouth with his arm. There were no visible signs of drunkenness.

"Well, uh..." Inigo managed to say. "Did you get something to drink?"

Chrom shook his head. "Not my taste... And I don't want to smell like a bar when I see Sumia tonight..."

"I told you so..." Inigo said, rolling his eyes.

"We let the guy who won the chess match get away." Morgan blurted.

"Wha-?" Inigo was exasperated as he looked over at Morgan. "Why would you-?"

"You what?"

_Oh boy... _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(A/N): Finally. I get to finally publish this.. Sorry for the late update. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it. I'll try to update more frequently. Leave a review or a comment! Thanks for reading!**

**Until Next Time,**

**~SAYONARA~**


	5. Chapter 4: Straight to the Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author****'****s Note: I think that I may make this FanFiction my primary project. I dunno, it's fun to do it. Anyway, thanks for all the views and such. It helps me a lot. Anyway, last time when we left off, a strange man has won a rather intriguing chess match. Who is this man? Could he possibly fill in the role of the Shepherds' new tactician? **

**Hopefully, you enjoy!**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Inigo glumly walked on the dusty road, rubbing his sore elbow. The sun rested just above the horizon, on the brink of setting. Morgan walked slightly behind him, her face downcast similarly to his own. Captain Chrom walked ahead of them, clearly in a sour mood. Inigo could faintly hear Chrom mutter things to himself. Whatever he was talking about, it wasn't pleasant.

Inigo slowed down a bit and matched his pace with Morgan's. She looked up at him, her eyes widened for a moment before she looked away. He sighed.

"I-I'm sorry." Morgan said, keeping her head low. "I didn't mean to rat us out..."

Inigo shook his head, his hair swaying. "It's fine... It doesn't matter anymore..."

Chrom still walked ahead, rubbing his head.

"Do you think the Captain is going to get us in trouble?"

Inigo gave Morgan a strange look. Despite her brilliance in other fields, Morgan was rather childish in some aspects. She could think three steps ahead in the field of battle but when it came to social cues, there was something Morgan lacked. Did it have to do with her amnesia? Or did it have to with her constant studying?

No... Robin studied much harder than her yet he was blessed with social grace...

"Well Inigo?" Morgan whispered. "Do you think so?"

"I don't know if we can actually get in any more trouble than a good scolding for losing our target..." Inigo said, shrugging. "We're pretty much adults at this point Morgan. We'll settle it as so."

Morgan's face lit up slight and she grinned. "I think that's the first smart thing I heard from you."

"I'll let you know that I AM actually quite smart." Inigo shot back, a playful gaze set in his eyes.

"Buuuut, you always blow it for yourself by wasting your time on girls."

"It's not wasting time!..." He paused. "My mother taught me do that to overcome my shyness!"

"And did it work?"

"I'll bet it on my good looks that it did."

Inigo saw Morgan laugh quietly to herself. He couldn't help but smile as well. Even though she was a bit childish, even though she was a tad bit naive, something about Morgan was so captivating to Inigo.

She must take it after her mother... And Robin...

"Stop."

Inigo saw a hand extend and stop him from moving forward.

It was Chrom.

He kept his hand there. Inigo saw Chrom's eyes dart around the area as if he was looking for something. It looked like he was scrutinizing over every little detail he saw in his field of vision.

"What's wrong Captain?" Morgan asked, keeping her voice low.

"Shh." Chrom said, bringing his hand to his ear, cupping it around the lobe. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Inigo asked. "I didn't hear anythi-"

Then, Chrom jumped in front of Inigo and unsheathed his sword, Falchion. He swung his blade upwards in the air. Inigo was confused as to what was happening. Then, he saw a wooden shaft, cleanly cut in half, land onto the dirt road in two. One half had feathers. The other had a sharpened steel tip, it's razor-like edge glinting the with sunlight.

It was an arrow.

"What the-?!" Inigo exclaimed, exasperated.

Chrom swung his sword and turned his head in all directions. "I thought I heard someone... Get out here! Now!"

There was a rustling within the bushes nearby. Inigo looked for where the sound came from but it seemed to be all over the place. He couldn't tell if the sound was behind, above, left, or right of him. His heart pounded with each passing second.

He then felt someone pull on his sleeve. Turning around, he saw Morgan, her eyes wide and darting around the area. It was the second time Inigo saw sheer fear in her eyes.

Then, from behind a tree, a man emerged. Behind him, four other men followed. They were dressed in plain clothes.

"That was impressive." The man from the tree, clearly the leader of these ruffians, said. "It's not every day you someone evade an arrow from me."

"Who are you?" Chrom demanded, holding his ground.

"Me? You haven't heard of me?" The man asked, flabbergasted. "Why, I thought I was the talk of the town!"

"Seems like you thought wrong." Chrom said, eyeing down his adversary. "Why are you doing this?"

The man chuckled as he brought his hand to his face. "I dunno? Why don'tcha ask that girl behind ya? Ain't that right?"

Morgan pointed at herself, "Me?!"

"You were there in that tavern t'day." The man said aloud. "You saw my chess match."

Inigo and Morgan immediately recognized this man after he mentioned this. He was the man from before, the one who lost to that mysterious hooded man. They had forgotten about him.

"And you never EVER walk out on MY chess match!" The man exclaimed. Inigo could see the spit fly out of his mouth from a distance.

"But you lost..." Morgan said.

"It was a stalemate! You said it yourself girlie." The man barked. "That means that there was no clear winner, am I right?"

Morgan bit her lip.

"And like I said, no one EVER walks out on my matches." He said. "You'll all have to pay reparations."

"What?!" The three exclaimed.

"I overheard what the boy and girl were talking about when they were coming to me table. You's got yourselves quite a bit of coin, eh?"

Inigo and Morgan recoiled slightly. It was true. They did happen to talk about their chess winnings aloud in the tavern.

"Tell you what," The man said. "Since I'm feelin' extra generous t'day, you can simply give me everything you've won today and we will let you go."

"And if we don't?" Chrom said.

Inigo slightly grimaced as Captain Chrom said that. He tried assess the situation at hand. Currently, there were five bandits mugging them for their winnings. Two, including the leader, were armed with bows and the rest had swords. Inigo didn't know whether there were more of them hiding amongst the vegetation but it was a safe assumption to make. IF that were so, Chrom, Morgan, and he were at a severe disadvantage. Inigo slowly moved his hand behind his back.

"Then we'll simply have to kill all of ya." The man said, grinning fiendishly.

"All of this over a chess game?" Chrom asked, exasperated. "Is that how much you'll go for your pride?"

"Battle ain't over until there is a clear winner." The man said. "I plan to be that winner today and wipe my slate clean."

Chrom gritted his teeth and turned to see Morgan and Inigo. Inigo could see the conflict in Chrom's face. Giving these bandits what they wanted was a mistake, it would show a sign of weakness and allow them to continue in their malevolent affairs. But engaging a fight with them would also equally be a mistake. Although they saw five enemies, there could be more lurking around the area. They had to assume the worst case scenario and come to the conclusion that they were surrounded.

"Well? What's it going to be?" The man demanded.

_We could take them on..._ Inigo thought to himself. But that would be too dangerous... Gods... What to do?

"Here."

Huh?! Wait a minute!

Morgan held the pouch filled with winnings in front of her. It jingled with all the riches inside. Inigo could see the sudden shift in the bandits' eyes as they saw the bag they wanted to badly. Inigo also saw that Chrom was taken aback as well.

"Finally!" The man exclaimed. "Someone is thinking straight."

Morgan stepped forward. "You said it yourself. If we give you these winnings, you'll leave us alone and go back."

"That I did." The man said, grinning. He stepped out from the bushes and towards the three.

Morgan briefly glanced at Inigo and Chrom. She could see that they were both rather appalled by her decision. Morgan felt Captain Chrom reach out to her and grab her shoulder.

"I don't trust him. You sure about this Morgan?" Chrom whispered.

Morgan nodded. She turned around and walked towards the man.

She stood mere centimeters away from him, her bag in her hands. Morgan could feel her heart race but now was not the time to allow her emotions to get the better of her. She saw the man outstretch his arm.

"The bag if you will." He said, motioning to Morgan.

Morgan slowly lifted her bag and handed it to the man.

As the bag entered his grasp, the swiftly grabbed Morgan's wrist and pulled her towards him. Morgan yelped in pain as the man roughly locked her in his grip.

"Hey! What in blazes are you doing?!"Chrom said, marching towards the two.

"I wouldn't get so close if I were you!" The man said, pulling out a dagger from his sleeve. "Unless you want to see fine strips of meat peel from her face."

Although alarmed, Inigo held his ground compared to his captain. He felt his fingers behind his back curl around the grip of his hidden blade. He had picked up some skills from Severa's father, Lon'qu. He would use them here to get Morgan out. He could see that Morgan was afraid but kept her composure.

"I'm changing my offer!" The man yelled, holding the dagger dangerously close to Morgan's face. "I'm going to take the girl along with me!"

"You bastard!" Chrom yelled, the fury in his voice. "If you knew who we were, you'd better let her go this instant!"

Captain, don't push it... Inigo thought to himself.

"Enlighten me, blue-boy."

"We are the Shepherds. That should be enough for you to get through your head."

The man however, was unaffected by what Chrom had just said and laughed instead. "The Shepherds? Never heard of them."

Inigo then saw one of the ruffians lean in on their leader. He was whispering something to him. Inigo tried to eavesdrop on whatever they had to say.

"... Elite fighting force... Royal Exalt... Halidom of Ylisse..." Inigo managed to catch those words from afar.

"I could care less if you were the Hero-King himself!" The man said, taking a step back. "If I want something, I WILL get it!"

"Don't press your luck."

It was Morgan.

"Wha-?"

There was a high pitch whistling sound that sailed through the air. Inigo felt something fly over his head and whiz past his hair. Whatever it was, it traveled incredibly fast.

There was a loud thunk as the object came to a sudden stop. The man let out an anguished cry as he let Morgan out of his grasp. From where he was, Inigo could make out an arrow shaft lodged into the man's shoulder, breaking through the armor he was wearing.

Inigo ran forward and caught Morgan.

"Are you alright?!"He asked. Morgan was shaking a bit in his arms.

She nodded. "He's given you the chance, take advantage of it!"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, from the bushes, a hooded figure emerged. Armed with the bow, the figure leapt into the air and fired several more shots. Each arrow the person fired found their mark, each of them sailing into the chests of the bandits. Without much struggle, each bandit fell to his knees, clutching his heart.

Inigo froze. The entire ordeal lasted a mere three seconds. He subconsciously counted. Whoever this person was, they just saved their hides.

The hooded person rose back to his feet and dusted himself off. He slung his bow over his shoulder and faced the three. Just like Inigo, the rest of them were shocked and grateful at the same time. None of them knew what to say.

Then the hooded person spoke.

"When did you see me?"

Inigo sort of recognize this man's voice. He saw a tuft of silver hair escape from the hood's coverage and a faint scar lining down his cheek

It was the man from the tavern!

Morgan straightened up and stood on her own, pushing herself up from Inigo's arms. "I heard some footsteps following us as we were walking through the forest... And when that man grabbed me, I saw a glimpse of you on that tree over there."

Inigo looked where Morgan pointed and saw that that was where the man emerged from.

"How did you know I would help you?" The man asked gruffly.

"I had to get your attention somehow... So I used your tactic... I'm sure you noticed by now."

Tactic...

Inigo thought back to what Morgan had done. If this was the man from the tavern and if Morgan was talking about tactics, then it must have been the chess move the man had done.

"You were the bishop." The hooded man said. Inigo could hear that the man's voice had lightened, no longer rough or rude. "You used yourself as bait in order to get the enemy king's attention."

"And you were the rook." Morgan replied, grinning slightly, noticing the subtle enthusiasm in the man's voice. "You finished the game."

"I knew you were the right one to follow after…" The man said, taking off his hood. His silver hair streamed down the sides of his face. "You were the one who watched my chess game."

Morgan nodded.

Chrom stepped forward. "Although I thank you for saving us today, who are you?"

"Me?" The man said, pointing at himself. "I'm just a drifter. Getting by and by, going from here and there…"

Chrom leaned over to Morgan. "Are you sure this is the guy that won that chess match?"

Morgan nodded. "I said that he used the very tactic, remember?"

"Well, yes. But-"

"Bah! Take his word for a grain of salt!"

Everyone turned to see where the voice came from. Shockingly, the leader of the bandits was still alive, barely. The arrow still jutted out from his shoulder, its shaft broken in half. He leaned against the trunk of the tree for support. Inigo could see the previously hooded man's jaw line tighten slightly.

"I get why you wouldn't know me." The man said, his words coming out in blocks. His face was plastered with pain. "But if you don't know who HE is, SOMETHING is wrong."

The hooded man armed himself with the bow again. He took out an arrow from his quiver and set it on the bow.

"And now you're gonna shoot me, ain't cha?" The man exclaimed, blood specks spewing from his mouth.

"Stop talking." The man said, raising his bow. "One more word, and you're gone."

"Don't you threaten me you son of a-"

The man let go of his bowstring and the arrow flew straight. The other man did not even have time to react. The arrow went clear through his armor and into his heart. Everyone could hear the arrowhead break through the armor on the man's backside. He fell to his knees, blood spurting from his mouth. Morgan gasped. Chrom gritted his teeth. Inigo simply looked away.

With the life he had left, the man stared down the hooded man. "We… h-had… a… d-d…"

The man fell to his side, blooding flowing from his mouth. His knees crumpled over. His eyes had become glossy as the life faded from them.

Everyone but the hooded man was a loss of words after watching the grisly scene. The man reslung his bow and closed his quiver shut. He turned to face Chrom.

"I overheard that you guys needed a recruit."

"Y-yes, but I still haven't caught your name…" Chrom said. Inigo could tell that he was a bit shocked by the scene. His voice lacked the usual confidence it withheld.

The man re-donned his hood.

"The name's Zexus. You can consider me hired."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(A/N): Sorry for such late updates! I was so busy. Who is this Zexus guy? Why is he so eager to join the Shepherds?... Wait, could that be called eagerness? I don't know, I think I need a thesaurus… ANYWAY! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a review or something, it helps me help you. Stay tuned for more!**

**Until next time,**

**~SAYONARA~**


	6. Chapter 5: End of a Long Day?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author's Note: Last time, a rather enigmatic character had joined the Shepherds. Who exactly is he? What does he know? Blah blah blah and more extra words. Whoo! Thank you for keeping up with this FanFic! It means a lot to me! Please leave a review or something! It helps me help you! Anyway, I'm taking up your time, here's what you came for!**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"…Morgan, how was Southtown?... Oh wait…"

"… Who's the new guy Inigo? He gives me the chills…"

"… Chrom, darling, why do you smell like the floor of a tavern?"

It was a long march back to camp. On the way, Morgan got exhausted and Inigo ended up carrying her for most of the way. And when they arrived, they were bombarded with questions from everyone else who stayed behind. He felt as if his legs would give way any moment. He made his way to the mess hall, Brady following after him.

"Who's the new guy Inigo?"

"He's Zexus." Inigo said, pointing his head towards him. "And if you don't mind Brady, I think I need to rest a moment."

Inigo sat down and set Morgan down next to him. She used his leg as a pillow. Her head felt heavy as she burrowed it into his thigh. Inigo let out a sudden gasp, unaware how a sore leg combined with a heavy head would feel.

"Yeah, my bad." Brady said, rubbing the back of his head. "You look like you've been through a lot of crap today..."

"You would not believe..." Inigo began to say, his voice sort of cracking. "The kind of crap we saw today..."

Brady sat down next to him, pulling two bottles of concoctions from his satchel. He handed one to Inigo who accepted it graciously.

"Does it have to do with that new guy, Zexus was it?" Brady asked, pointing towards the silver haired man who was currently conversing with Chrom outside of the mess hall.

"More or less..." Inigo said, downing the concoction. He set the empty bottle on the table and wiped his mouth. "It's a long story..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Lucina, your father wishes to see you in the meeting tent. You better be off to see him."

"Yes mother."

Lucina had just recently woken up. She realized that she had slept for more than half of the day. She had forgotten what it felt like to sleep for so long. When the war was still going on, she slept very lightly, the slightest of sounds waking her. At first, when she awoke from her sleep, she would wander the camp, trying to calm her nerves. It was easier said than done.

And during these spells, she would see Robin at night.

He would help her, talking to her in his tent, telling jokes, cheering her up. His words had a profound effect on her, soothing her in a way.

After they were married, Lucina would still have sudden aversions from sleep but sleeping in Robin's arms helped her drift back effortlessly.

And now, she slept for more than half the day. Lucina felt dead tired.

Brushing her blue hair out of her face, Lucina opened the tent flaps and stepped outside. She saw that the sun was but a shimmer above the horizon. It would only be a several more hours until the sun would set. Around her, she took in all the sights she saw.

She saw Virion and Gerome talk over freshly killed animals. Gerome was sharpening his axe while Virion admired the kill. Cherche came out from one of the tents, carrying tools of sorts. Owain and his father, Vaike, hauled the fresh cuts of meat to the storehouses. Aunt Lissa followed after them, smiling and saying various things

Towards the center campfire, Lucian saw Sir Frederick, yet again, tending the fire while Panne and Yarne conversed over matters to one another. It looked as if Panne was scolding Yarne for some reason. Yarne recoiled after each word. Lucina could see Sir Frederick chuckle about the whole ordeal between his wife and son.

Lucina passed by Kjelle and Severa who were both arguing about something. Kjelle's face was bright red while Severa merely shook her head in grief. Just a little beyond the two, she could just make out two figures sitting next to each other. It was Cordelia and Lon'qu. Cordelia was leaning her head against Lon'qu's shoulder while he stroked her hair, a rare sight indeed for the stoic swordsman.

Gaius emerged from the forest, holding a crate full of jars filled with a golden liquid. On his back, Nowi latched herself onto him, saying something that resulted in Gaius smiling and saying something back.

Lucina came to a stop in front of the meeting tent. She could hear her father talking to someone inside. They were discussing strategies and tactics and such...

It was the talks her father would have with Robin...

She cleared her throat and stepped inside of the tent.

In the tent, Chrom, her father, was standing by the main table, a map of Ylisse strewn across the top. He seemed to be deep in thought, he made the usual face when he was about to make an executive decision. Lucina could see several flag posts stuck onto the map. These wooden spikes would be used to indicate an enemy base or an area that deemed ready for conquest. The ones marked in blue meant the area had already been won over. On the map, there were six indicators. Five were blue. The other was red.

Lucina had talked enough with Robin to know that when there was a red spike on the map and her father made that face of his, there will be a resulting battle.

But that made Lucina wonder even more. The war was over. All Grimleal posts and opposing vanguards were gone. Opposition should be minimal to nonexistent with the fact that Grima was gone. But it had only been a day.

It felt much longer though...

"Ah, Lucina." Chrom said, his face brightening up. "Good to see you awake and moving."

Lucina nodded and stood next to her father. "What have we here?"

Chrom put his hand on the map. "Thanks to the information Zexus has given us, we were able to pinpoint several Grimleal and Grimleal Advocate strongholds."

Lucina raised her eyebrow. "Who is Zexus?"

"That would be me."

Lucina turned and saw that she hadn't noticed the man standing there the entire time. His presence in the tent was nearly identical to Kellam's in the mess hall at that moment, she was surprised.. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and he wore a brown hooded cloak. He had long silver hair that was long overdue for a trim and had piercing ashen eyes. It was a rare color.

"M-my apologies." Lucina stammered, doing a quick bow. "I-I didn't notice..."

The man, Zexus simply waved his hand. "It's fine. I'm not too strict with formalities."

Lucina looked at him for a moment. At first glance, the man resembled a simple ruffian. If it wasn't for his face, everyone else would have probably thought the same.

"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?" Lucina asked. The moment those words left her mouth, Lucina bit her tongue. Her words carried a bite. A caustic bite that lashed out at the listener at the other end. Lucina wished she had been softer in her tone.

"Lucina..." Chrom said under his breath, his eyes had become concerned at her tone. "You shouldn't be so brusque."

Zexus shook his head, smiling. "It's fine. Anyone in her disposition would be same if not worse... I'm sorry for your loss milady."

"Why I-" Lucina was taken aback. How did this man know? "How do you know that?"

"Talk of the camp as of late." Zexus said. "Everyone mentioned how they didn't see you for most of the day. They all assumed you were keeping to yourself in your tent... I won't pry any further into the matter, milady."

"Ahem," Chrom cleared his throat and got their attention. "Anyway, first order of business. Zexus, if you would please."

"Alright." He said, making his way to the map. "You see here that there are blue and red spikes on the map."

"I already know what they mean." Lucina said. "What's with the red one?"

Zexus grinned. "My my, you seem to know more about this strategy board than you look. That's good."

"My husband was a tactitian..." Lucina said. "He told me the basic ropes of how it works."

"Then it should be easier for me to explain." Zexus said, rubbing his hands together. He cleared his throat. "Today, your father and his group were ambushed by a group of several brigands a little bit off the ways of Southtown."

Lucina looked at her father, her eyes wide. "Father! Are you-"

"I'm fine." Chrom said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Just listen to Zexus."

"Long story short, I came before anything too drastic happened." Zexus said. "And I was employed by your father."

Lucina looked at Zexus and at the board. She looked back at Zexus. "And how does this relate to the red spike on the map?"

Zexus grinned. "As it happens, I am a drifter and I know the areas around the country quite well. And it's brigands you're looking for, I know where to find 'em."

Lucina brought her hand to her chin. "So you're saying that this red spike is supposed to be a brigand camp?"

Zexus shook his head. "Not only a brigand camp. It's a junction between the Grimleal and the bands of ruffians that wander around. It's a perfect area to employ a critical strike."

Lucina looked at the red spike and back at her father. "So is this where we are going to go next?"

Chrom shook his head. "Not all of us. Zexus suggested that we send two recon teams to scout the area out and report back to us. Then, we send a forward strike unit to quell all opposition."

"I see." Lucina said. "Have the teams been decided?"

"That's why I called you here." Chrom said. "Or for that matter, why Zexus asked for your presence."

"Huh?"

"Milady, I will be leading one of the recon teams. Commander Chrom has already spoken to the members under my leadership and they will meet up with me shortly. I wanted you to be here because you will be in the other team."

Lucina took in all of his words. "And who will be leading that team?"

"Among this group you have here, there is a rather bright and brilliant tactician. I believe she will be a perfect leader for that team."

"You don't mean..." Lucina muttered.

"Her name is Morgan I believe."

Lucina was at a loss of words. Her daughter was going to be a tactician for a recon team. And Lucina herself was going to be under her leadership. Lucina wasn't mad she was being placed underneath her daughter. She was rather exasperated over a different reason.

"Don't you think Morgan is a tad-bit too young to lead a group?"

"She's almost as old as you currently Lucina." Chrom quipped.

"That's not my point father! She's inexperienced. I'm worried of her sake as well as the other team members."

"She'll do just fine..." Zexus said.

"And how do you know that?"

"She got my attention today while being ambushed. No regular person will be able to do that."

"I still don't get your point..."

"My point is that she is a LOT smarter than you give her credit for."

"She's my DAUGHTER Zexus. If there is anyone in the Shepherds that knows Morgan, that would be me."

Now, Zexus looked as if he were at a loss of words. He turned to Chrom.

"You didn't mention to me that Morgan was her daughter..." He hissed.

Chrom looked surprised as well. "I thought you knew... Seeing that you put Lucina under her leadership..."

Zexus looked hotly embarrassed. "Well... I... Uh... This is awkward..."

"Well?" Lucina said, raising her eyebrow.

Zexus shook his head. "The plan still sticks. Morgan will be leading your group. She'll need the experience if she wants to be a great tactician."

Lucina sighed. There was no more use protesting. Zexus' words did carry some merit. If one wanted experience, they would have to work for it.

"Alright." Lucina reluctantly said. "How are the teams going to be like?"

Zexus pulled out a rolled sheet of paper. "The teams will be consisted of three members including the leader. Any size bigger will be too much to manage in a recon mission."

"Will a strike team be ready on stand-by?" Lucina asked.

Chrom nodded. "I will be leading that force myself. We will be waiting from a manageable distance ready for your mark."

Lucina thought hard one last time. "What happens when the recon teams are compromised?"

Zexus and Chrom looked at each other. Zexus turned to Lucina. "In the event something like that happens, a team should send one member to where the strike team is located and alert them. Reinforcements should arrive shortly."

Lucina nodded. "So, Morgan and I are in one team... Who is the other member?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brady walked out of the mess hall, leaving Inigo and Morgan alone. Holding empty bottles in his hand, he went a nearby waste bin and tossed the bottles inside. Dusting his hands off, he went sat on a nearby stump, looking towards the sunset sky. It was nice for change, to have a leisure day after all the fighting throughout the war. It was tough, the war, but at least he found his parents.

And now, with the war over, Brady couldn't help but wonder what else was in store. The Shepherds had spent so much time debating on what to do when Grima appeared, it was chaotic. People were scared, Brady was scared, and so were many of the other Shepherds. But through Chrom's leadership and Robin's calculative wit, they persevered.

And when the final battle came, they won.

_It's hard to believe that it was only yesterday._

It felt like years.

Robin's absence truly left a lasting impact on the Shepherds' camp. People weren't laughing as much anymore. Brady hadn't seen Lucina all day. She wasn't present at the council meeting with all the others. And after that meeting, she was nowhere to be seen. Tharja too. She simply disappeared after she said her piece at the meeting. She was supposed to be in charge of weapons maintenance today. With her not present, Brady would have to fill in for her.

He sighed and stood up, stretching his back a bit. He walked towards the barracks.

As he walked, he remembered what Inigo was telling him.

How they were cornered in a forest.

How Morgan was taken hostage.

And finally, how that guy, Zexus, managed to come at the right moment and save them.

It was quite the miracle, Brady agreed. Stuff like that doesn't happen right of the blue. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. Brady couldn't pinpoint what but something didn't fit right with him.

"Good evening, Brady." A soft, warm voice said to him.

Looking up, he saw Libra, the war monk. He was holding a healing staff and gave Brady a warm smile.

"Hey Libra." Brady replied, waving his hand. "Where you off to?"

Libra lifted his staff. "I'm off to the sick bay. There are still some wounded members that need treatment."

"Do you need help?" Brady asked.

"That would be delightful."

Brady nodded. "After I'm done with the equipment maintenance, I'll head on down there with my staff as well."

"That would be most appreciated. Thank you Brady."

Brady nodded and waved Libra good-bye. He continued to walk down towards the barracks. As he was about to lift the open the door to the room, he heard someone running. He turned and saw a blue-haired figure rush past him.

"Oh hey Lucina. Haven't seen you all day."

The figure turned, seemingly out of breath. Hunched over, she mumbled a greeting.

"Hello… Brady…" Lucina said, in between pants.

"Why the rush? Your dad give you a new chore to do?"

She shook her head. She caught her breath and spoke. "No. I just need to find my daughter."

"Morgan?" Brady said.

She nodded. "Do happen to know where she is?"

Brady shrugged. "Last time I saw her, she was in the mess hall with Inigo."

"Okay tha- wait a minute."

Brady lifted an eyebrow. "Somethin' wrong?"

"My daughter. In the same room. As Inigo."

"Yep." Brady replied. "At least I suppose-"

"ThankyouBradybye."

And she ran off again.

"Huh…" Brady wondered aloud. "Wonder what's gotten into her?..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Inigo, folding his outer coat, put his coat underneath Morgan's head. She burrowed her head into the coat similar to what she did with Inigo's thigh. He rubbed his thigh sorely, finally free from Morgan's iron grip. He sighed.

_Geez… She looks like a delicate girl but once she sleeps, she latches onto you like what Nowi does to Gaius… _

"Ow…"

It didn't help that his legs were already sore from all the walking. What Inigo wanted the most right now was to probably go to take a nice warm bath. His mother, Olivia, told him that there were some good springs around the area. He probably would have gone out to take a look around if he wasn't so darn tired.

Suddenly, the doors to the mess hall were thrown wide open. Inigo jumped at the sudden break in the silence. In the doorway stood an out-of-breath Lucina. She didn't look too happy.

"Oh hey Lucy." Inigo said, waving.

"I told you not to call me that." She said, making her way towards him.

"Sheesh." Inigo said, rubbing his head. "One way to receive a greeting…"

"Where's my daughter?" Lucina asked, walking amongst the aisles.

"She's right here." Inigo said, pointing next to his side. "She's sleeping."

"What did you do to her?" Lucina demanded.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Inigo said, standing up stiffly, his arms up halfway. "I didn't do ANYTHING to your daughter."

"And why should I take your word?"

"Your girl's been out cold for a while." Inigo said. "She's had a long day."

Lucina squinted at Inigo.

"Why is it that when I am alone with someone's daughter, they automatically assume that I am going to things to them? Let alone talking…"

"Why you ask?" Lucina said, folding her arms. "Because you can't keep that overly-flirtatious mouth of yours shut for more than twenty seconds."

Inigo shook his head. "If you think I did something weird or whatever, just ask Brady. He'll back me up. And if you are even more doubtful, go ask Tharja, she'll do a quick check-up on her… Hell, bring both of 'em."

This time, Lucina shook her head. "Never mind… I guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

"That's new…" Inigo said. "Normally you'd go get those two."

"Well, this isn't a normal time Inigo."

"Huh, tell me about it."

"Ah forget it…" Lucina said, she turned to Inigo and directly met his eyes with hers. Inigo felt as if her eyes were drilling holes into his head. "I need to discuss important matters."

"Okay." Inigo said, getting up from his seat. "I'll just leave you to your daughter then."

"With you."

"… and make sure she gives me my coat ba- wait what?"

"I need to tell you something important."

Inigo sat back down. "Well this is new… Even more new than that-"

"Yeah yeah. Just stop talking would you?"

Inigo shut up.

"The thing is…"

Inigo nodded.

"Morgan, you, and I are being assigned for a rather critical recon mission will be initiated in about… an hour."

"Say what now?!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(A/N): Poor, poor Inigo… Never has a chance for anything… or anyone…This is making up for that week I took off from writing. Sorry guys… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review or something! It helps me help you! Well, I'm done talking.**

**Until next time,**

**~SAYONARA~**


	7. Chapter 6: Compromise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author's Note: Last time, the new member of the Shepherds, Zexus, has been chosen to coordinate a mission against a camp of brigands/ Grimleal up north. How will the mission carry out? Over a thousand views! Yes! Thank you all who read my FanFic! I deeply appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! Leave a review or something! Helps me help you! Anyway, I'm taking too much time talking, here's what you came for!**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"When do we go in?"

"Wait until Lon'qu comes back. He should be here any minute."

Morgan twiddled with her thumbs, slightly shaky. She was incredibly nervous. The last hour had been a hectic array of arrangements and rearrangements. She had been rudely awoken from her nap and brought to the meeting tent for a quick briefing on a late-night mission. The first thing she heard when she woke up was "You're going to be the co-directing tactician in the next mission. Get ready."

She learned that Zexus was the other leader, leading a group of two. He had Lon'qu and Cordelia in his group and Morgan had her mother and Inigo. This entire operation was Zexus' idea. He claimed that there was a Brigand or Grimleal outpost that held down a fort towards the north. And thus, the operation was in full force. Two recon teams were sent out and a standing strike force waited nearby. That strike force consisted of Captain Chrom himself, two healers, Libra and Brady, an archer, Virion, a mounted knight, Sir Frederick, and a dark mage, Tharja.

The rest of the army would be encamped elsewhere, lightly stationed just in case the a small skirmish breaks out into an all-out battle. All Wyvern Riders and Pegasus Knights were on standby, ready at a moments notice.

And all of this was planned in less than an hour and organized swiftly. Morgan was amazed at how ordely everything was arranged. No mere tactician could sift through tactics and arrange the entire army as so. It took experience and battle prowess to do this. Zexus was no ordinary military advisor. He was almost on the same plane as her father.

Almost.

Morgan was lost, deep in thought, when she felt someone knudging her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Inigo, stopped over, looking at her, his face full of concern.

"You alright? You aren't like yourself..." He asked.

Morgan sighed. "It's my first battle without my father... I'm worried I might make mistakes."

Inigo sat down next to her, putting his hands on his knees. "You handled yourself pretty well back at Southtown. I'm not too worried."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Inigo said nodding. "I'm just dead tired. I mean, I got treatment from Lissa and some supplements but I'm still sore all over..."

"I wonder why Zexus chose you for the recon team..." Morgan said, stick her lip out slightly. "Seeing your disposition..."

"Beats me." Inigo said, throwing his arms into the air. "You worried?"

"Well duh!" Morgan said, looking at his straight in the eyes. "This is a critical operation! One slip-up because of a sore soldier can be catastrophic!"

Inigo laughed. "You sound just like your mom."

Morgan reddened slightly. Many people said that she sounded like or resembled her mother Lucina or like her father Robin. True be told, she had no idea what they were talking about. She just couldn't see how she could identify with her parents as other would with their parents. It may have been due to Morgan's amnesia, just like her father's case, that she wasn't able to see any resemblance between her and her parents.

"Gosh Morgan, you alright?"

Morgan quickly rubbed her face and smacked it a few times. "Yeah, yeah... Just worried."

Inigo looked at her strangely. "Y'know, it isn't a calming thought to have your leader worried constantly. Hell, it makes me worried."

"What do you mean?"

"If leadership crumbles to anxiety, that affects the rest of us." Inigo said, dusting his pant leg. "If our dear tactician is worried, how would the rest of us feel?"

"I see..." Morgan said, she tried to smile. "Guess I'll just have to stop worrying so much then, right?"

"Yep. "Inigo nodded. "You're Robin's daughter. You'll have no trouble with this entire ordeal. I guarantee it."

"Thanks Inigo..." Morgan said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "That means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it."

Someone stood in front of them. They turned.

It was Lucina.

"Oh hey, Lucy-I mean, Lucina." Inigo said, correcting himself.

"Lon'qu is back." She said, her eyes shifting between the two. "We better go meet up with everyone else."

"Right behind you." Inigo said, getting up. He extended his hand in front of Morgan. She took it and stood up.

"You ready?" Inigo asked Morgan.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone huddled around a map Lon'qu had drawn in the dirt. It was a pentagonal shape. In the center of the map was a rectangular structure. It was marked.

"The layout of the camp is rather simple." Lon'qu said. "Walls are still standing, giving the guards an elevated view from their posts. The walls are made of stone, making them easy to scale. I was able to make out that several tents and structures make up the border of the camp. They all surround a single main structure towards the center of the camp."

He pointed at the rectangle in the map with his sword sheath. "I believe that this structure here will hold some importance."

"So what's the mission exactly?" Cordelia asked, looking at Zexus. "Are we supposed to gather valuable intel or are we suppose to survey their army and make a move against them?"

Zexus cleared his throat. "We are to enter camp, undetected mind you, and observe their activity. They no doubt have strongholds elsewhere and may be relaying information back and forth. We have to find the connection and link it to other forts. After we find that valid link, we signal Chrom and his men."

"So," Morgan said. "We go in, count their numbers, assess their strengths and vulnerabilites, find vital information, and bring down the fort on their heads, right?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Zexus said, smiling. "The information is vital for further operations. The more links we find, the closer we get to ending this campaign against the Grimleal."

"Let's do this, then." Inigo said, rising to his feet. "What are we waiting for?"

"I agree." Lon'qu added. "Their guards are rather lax at this moment. We will be able to slip in, unnoticed, and get on with the operation."

Zexus slung his bow over his shoulder and donned his hood. "Let me remind you, you will NOT alert Chrom until the information is found. We relay signals back through birdcalls."

"And how will those signals be like?" Lucina asked.

"In order to avoid confusion, we will be primarily using three signals." Zexus said. "One whistle at three second intervals will mean all clear, two whistles at three second intervals will mean no, three whistles will mean help is needed."

"Won't birdcalls give away our position?" Morgan asked. "I thought being quiet was key."

"Birds are a commonplace in this area." Zexus said. "The Grimleal won't pay much attention to what they hear."

"If birds are common sounds everyone will hear, then won't we be confused as to which whistle was coming from us or a bird?"

"You won't be confused." Zexus said, trying to reassure her. "Once you hear it, you'll understand."

"How will we contact Captain Chrom?" Inigo asked, curious.

Zexus grinned as he pulled out a small case. From inside, he pulled out two tomes. They were colored green.

"These are some prototypes a Shepherd member gave me. She told me that this will be able to relay messages back and forth between two people or groups over a distance. All you need to do is turn to the designated page and cast it."

Morgan then realized why the groups were chosen the way they were. Morgan knew how to efficiently cast tomes without much difficulty. Not only was this operation a chance for her to flourish her skills as a tactician but because it was absolutely necessary she participated. Laurent and Miriel would be too busy and inexperienced with the role of a tactician and Tharja would probably not do anything at all, seeing how nonchalant she was with everything around her.

But Morgan had no idea how Zexus' group would manage to do it. Sure, Cordelia was a Dark Flier, (she left her pegasus back at camp), but Morgan knew Cordelia's casting skill wasn't developed enough to cast prototype tomes. This was an area where even high level mages struggled on. And Lon'qu was out of the question. He was a man of blades not magic.

Then that only left Zexus.

"Zexus, can you cast magic?" Morgan asked.

"Funny you should ask that." He said, glancing at her. "But yes. I can cast tomes and spells well enough to use this prototype tome."

Morgan sighed with relief. She picked up the tome and put it into her satchel. She tightely closed it.

"So we can only use this to contact the strike force right?" Inigo asked.

"Yes. We cannot talk to one another through these. The two opposite tomes from these two are with the strike force and they will be waiting for our signal."

Inigo nodded.

Zexus looked at everyone and rubbed his hands together.

"Well everyone, I think we better get started."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The wall wasn't too hard to scale. There were enough jutting bricks to grab and climb. Plus, the guards had left their posts for a moment and left the walls unmanned, allowing easy access. The groups have been split, Morgan's team taking the east side and Zexus' entering from the west. Each group was to avoid all confrontation while scrouning through many of the tents, looking for vital intel. Once that task was complete, it was time to call in the storm.

Morgan climbed over the top and landed on the other side. Rubbing her knees, she stood up. Inigo and her mother waited in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Lucina asked, walking towards Morgan.

She nodded. "Just a little sore."

"We better get a move on." Inigo whispered to them, glancing back and forth over his shoulder. "The guards could be back any moment."

"For once I agree." Lucina said, helping Morgan up onto her feet. "Let's go."

The three of them stuck to the shadows, avoiding the torches that were posted as lanterns. As they made their way past many of the tents, Lucina noticed something odd about the camp.

The camp itself was too organized to be a brigand outpost. Tents were neatly placed and many of the crates of equipment were stored in a very organized fashion. Lucina had spent enough time fighting through enemy forts to know the manner these brigands set their camps. They were always messy, rowdy, and unorganized. This camp however was nearly the exact opposite. It was quiet and neat.

The Grimleal would be capable of this neatness but the camp was too lacksidaisical. The Grimleal were notorious for posting guards and stations at max. This place was too undefended. All of this didn't sit right with Lucina.

"Something bothering you?" Inigo whispered to her.

Lucina's eyes darted all around, taking all of the visual stimulus. "The atmosphere I'm getting from this camp is bothering me."

"You noticed too, huh?" Inigo quipped. "This place isn't like any brigand camp I've ever seen."

Lucina nodded. "Whatever is going, I don't like it."

"Since when did you like anything about these guys?"

"True."

Lucina searched the immediate area she saw. "Do you see any guards?"

Inigo shook his head. "No, I haven't seen one since we climbed over that wall... Where did they all go?"

Lucina thought for a moment. "Remember Lon'qu mentioned a building center-fixed towards the center of the camp?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think all the guards and soldiers went over there?"

Inigo scratched his head. "I dunno. Maybe?"

"If that's the case, let's take this opportunity to search through the many tents we see. We don't know when the guards will be back out. Time is of the essence."

"Actually, not really."

The two turned and faced Morgan. "Huh?"

"I searched through most of the tents here. They are all resting quarters. Noticing the way the camp's layout is set, the tents with all the valuable information should be closer to the center of the camp."

Inigo leaned to Lucina and whispered, "She really is your daughter."

"What was that?" Morgan asked.

"N-nothing... Nothing." Inigo said, walking past Morgan. "Let's hurry up and get to those tents."

He walked off, a sudden vigor in his strides.

Morgan looked at her mother. "I wonder what's up with him..."

Lucina shrugged.

"Inigo., you know you are going in the opposite direction, right?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you think the other group found anything?"

"If they had, they'd be signaling us by now."

Lon'qu sat down on a barrel, his sword resting on his lap. Cordelia sat next to him, her thumb resting on a page in her tome. She sighed. The first area they had explored had been unfruitful. No vital intel, no important documents, nothing. Zilch. Nada. And now, so close to the center of the camp, Zexus had commanded them to stay put in the area, claiming he wanted to go look for something. They obliged to his request, working with the area they were in. And that proved to be meaningless as well.

They had looked through the resting quarters and all of the food storehouses an storage areas. Those areas only had stored food, neatly stacked and put away, and no actual intel. It was rather discouraging. And now, Zexus was off somewhere, looking for something.

Cordelia looked at her husband. "So are we just going to sit here, twiddling our thumbs?"

"Orders are orders." Lon'qu said. "They are made to be followed."

"But still, Lon'qu." Cordelia said, looking at his face. A pleading look across her face. "Sitting around isn't going to help us get closer to finishing our mission."

"And wandering around only to get caught isn't going to help either."

Cordelia bit her lip. Lon'qu's words did carry merit. Orders weren't given unless they held a specific purpose. Normally, she too would follow orders to the letter but she couldn't agree with orders that made her idle. She needed to be moving, doing SOMETHING.

Her husband was a different story.

He would follow instructions without question. There was a time, even while the two were married, when Chrom ordered Lon'qu to be act as a bodyguard for his sister, Lissa. Of course, Cordelia didn't mind too much that her husband was spending time with another woman but it sort of bothered how Lon'qu would simply carry out an order with no quarrel. She hadn't talked to him about however. It was already bad enough that Lon'qu had gynophobia but talking about women was an entirely different issue. She sighed.

"I know that sigh."

"Huh?"

Lon'qu looked at her, straight in the eye. "You make that sigh when you pretend to accept your current circumstance and then you go ahead and do it anyway."

"Why I-"

"I've been with you long enough to be able to distinguish one sigh from another. And believe me, I've been closer to you than any other woman and I KNOW."

Cordelia stuck her lip out. A first time for her. Then, she felt herself being moved pulled towards her husband, his arm around her shoulder. Cordelia was surprised, her cheeks felt hot.

"Lon'qu, what are you doing?" She looked at him. She also found his face to be slightly red.

"I-I... I'm... Making sure... You don't go anywhere."

"Won't you be uncomfortable?..." Cordelia hoped Lon'qu would acquiese.

"N-no..." Lon'qu said, much to her dismay. "I must maintain... My composure..."

Cordelia held her head down glumly. She sighed. "I don't know what you will accomplish throu-"

"Shh."

"Don't 'shh' me!"

Lon'qu put his hand over Cordelia's mouth. "No Cordelia. Listen."

Lon'qu uncomfortable demeanor completely changed, his face no longer red but gravely serious. Seeing the sudden shift in his expression, Cordelia knew to oblige to what he said. She listened.

She could hear a faint groveling in the dirt road. They weren't close but they weren't far either. Just like her husband said, there was something out there. The sound was getting closer, their intervals now uniformly entering her sound-space.

"Someone's coming."

"Is it Zexus?"

"Unless Zexus was with another group, you wouldn't hear so many feet hit the dirt at once."

They were footsteps. It seemed that the guards were coming back to their posts.

"Cordelia." Lon'qu whispered. "This way."

Lon'qu took her hand and started to retreat into the darkness. The footsteps got even closer. The guards might turn the corner any second. Cordelia observed her hiding spot and there was a problem.

The shade cast by the tent provided ample space. Ample space for one person. Cordelia and Lon'qu wouldn't be able to both fit there. They would have to act quickly.

"Stay here." Lon'qu said, motioning Cordelia to stay put.

"What about you?" She asked, clearly worried.

Lon'qu smirked, a rare occurance. "I'll manage."

And in that brief moment Cordelia blinked her eyes, her husband vanished into thin air, out of sight, out of mind. And just in time too. The guards stopped by the tent, holding their post dangerously close to Cordelia's position. Cordelia held her breath, almost sure that the guards would be able to hear her breathe, not to mention the thundering of her heart.

From the shadows that Cordelia saw, she predicted that the guards weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Cordelia felt as if her lungs were about to burst. She knew that if she would let out a breath, the guards would definitely hear her. And even if she let out shallow breaths, the guards were just too close. Cordelia tried to step back further into the shadows.

SNAP

"... Did you hear that?"

"Yeah... I'll check it out."

Cordelia's heart raced, pouding against her armor. Her eyes raced around, searching for the source of the sound. She looked down at her foot. A stray tree branch lay beneath her sole, roughly snapped in half.

Cordelia heard the footsteps making their way towards her position. Feeling behind her back, Cordelia rested her fingers on top of her tome. Zexus had warned her not to engage with the enemy but she would have no choice. She pulled the tome from behind her back and flipped it open. The flipping of pages sounded like thunderclaps. In the dim light, Cordelia flipped to the center. She ran her finger over the first line, ready to chant the spell.

"Please set your frequency to the receiving tome in order to relay communication."

Cordelia felt her heart drop. This wasn't an Arcfire tome! She could feel the cold sweat drip down her back. The guards would get to her any second.

Where is Zexus?!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lucina! You gotta take a look at this."

Lucina walked over to Inigo who had fixated his entire concentration on a certain scroll. His tone was rather grave, unlike his regular personality. Lucina looked over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

Inigo brought the scroll and laid it on a nearby desk, brushing all the clutter on the desk to the side. Lucina observed the map. It was a continental map of the Valm and Ylisse. Throughout the map, there were many circled locations and lines that connected all the locations to one another. Beneath the locales, several words were scribbled.

"What's so important about this map?" Lucina asked.

"Don't you get it?" Inigo asked, exasperated. "Just look at these last two locations and you'll see what I mean."

Lucina looked at where Inigo was pointing at. One area was called Origin Peak and then the trail led all the way to the east, to Mount Prism.

Mount Prism.

The Holy Sanctuary where the rite of the Awakening was held.

Lucina felt a shiver run down her spine.

"This... This is..."

Inigo nodded. "These guys were following us, the Shepherds. They were following us before we even joined our parents... It's no coincidence that this group or whatever followed us from Origin Peak all the way to Mount Prism."

"But why?" Lucina asked. "Why on earth would any group do that?"

Inigo shrugged. "That's beyond me... They could be a stalking group that observes our army and assesses our strengths and weaknesses... But that wouldn't make much sense anymore if this group is still here and united... The war's over..."

"When did you become so smart?"

Inigo shrugged again. "I dunno. Maybe hanging around your daughter helped. Her intellect must have rubbed onto me."

Lucina thought for a moment. Then her eyes turned wide. "Where's Morgan?"

Inigo looked flabbergasted. "Why are you asking me? I thought she was with you..."

Lucina and Inigo looked around the tent and found no other person inside. Inigo could see the anxiety creep over Lucina's face.

"I'm going to take a look outside." She said, marching her way over to the tent

"Wait, Lucina!" Inigo exclaimed. He hurriedly went after her and then realized her left the map behind. He rushed back, retrieved it, and followed her outside.

"Lucina you shouldn't rush out like tha-"

Something was blaring in the air and it caught Inigo off guard. It was similar to the tome Anna had used at the hot springs that one time. It must have been a variation. Inigo instintively covered his ears. He looked over to Lucina and saw her grave expression. Over the incessant blaring, he could faintly hear the clincking of armor and rushing footsteps over the dirt path.

"Do you have any idea on what is going on?" Inigo asked, yelling above the siren.

Lucina looked at him solemnly.

"We've been compromised."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(A/N): Okay. I'm going to upload this from mobile so you guys are going to see a lot of errors. I"m going to log back on later and fix them so please bear with me. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Until next time,

~SAYONARA~


	8. Chapter 7: To Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening/Kakusei**

**Author****'****s Note: Last time where we left off, the operation takes a downward swerve, quite the opposite from what the operatives expected. Where is Zexus? What happened to Morgan? Anywho, thanks for keeping up with the story guys. I greatly appreciate you guys taking your time to read it. Leave a review or something! Helps me help you! Now, let me stop stealing your time. Here's the stuff you came for. Enjoy.**

**Much love,**

**~SAYONARA~**

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**Brady blew his breath into his cupped hands and rubbed them together. He tried to generate as much warmth possible but he couldn't stop shivering. Tonight was particularly cold. It was also due to the fact that he wore lightly. His clothes weren't meant to provide warmth. Instead, they offered great mobility, allowing him to swing his ax without much movement restrictions. Still shivering, he barely managed to hold his healing staff. He leaned it against a nearby rock and sat down.**

**"What are you doing out here by yourself?"**

**Brady glanced over his shaky shoulder and saw Tharja. He almost jumped out of his skin, seeing her standing so still in the dark. Despite the cold evening weather, she wore her usual skin-thin outfit. Briefly shaking his head, he faced her again. **

**"I could ask ya the same." Brady said, clearing his throat. "But I'm surprised ya actu'lly showed."**

**"I asked you first. Answer or I'm leaving."**

**"Wait don't go!." Brady said, amidst his nervous laughing. "I don't wanna be on watch alone."**

**"Huh. So that's why you're here..." Tharja said. "I thought we would have something in common..."**

**Brady raised his eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"**

**"I can't stand being around people for long..." Tharja said, standing next to Brady. "It makes me... Uncomfortable..."**

**Brady shrugged. "Quite the opposite. I wanna be aroun' people but jus can't stand me."**

**"Do you want me to cast a curse and make everyone want to be around you?"**

**Brady felt his blood run cold. "I'd rather be curse-free thank ye very much."**

**Tharja giggled. All it did was make Brady feel colder than he already was. **

**He was still surprised Tharja showed up for the operation briefing. It was quite the last-minute planning, Brady was still swimming in his own head. Apparently the new guy, Zexus knew a brigand camp up north and suggested to Captain Chrom to dispatch them. So, two teams, a recon team and a strike team, were assembled for the operation. And Brady himself, of all people, was put into the strike team. He asked why of course and Captain Chrom gave a very brief answer. **

**"All the other healers are busy. You and Libra are the only ones free at this moment."**

**And tonight was his turn to do the equipment check.**

**And that was because Tharja didn't show up for her shift.**

Brady sighed, thinking about all the equipment that was left untended in the storage tent. He quickly asked Gerome to fill in for him during his absense, much to Gerome's annoyance. Brady would have to make it up to him later...

He looked over Tharja who stared off into the dark of the evening. Her eyes seemed to be contemplating over something.

"Why'd ya come?" Brady asked, the words simply flowed from his mouth without much thought. The moment he finished his sentence, he realized how off-putting and rude his question sounded. He bit his lip.

Tharja looked at him indifferently. "I just needed something to do... To take my mind off of things for a time being."

Brady sat in silence for a moment.

"It's still bothering you, isn't it?"

"Huh?" She asked, perplexed.

Brady shook his head. "Don't play dumb with me. You've been actin' a bit odd ever since... Well,... Ever since Robin..."

"Stop."

Brady shrugged. "Look, I'm sorry but we're all worried about you. Hell, I'm worried about you."

"Why?..." Tharja asked. Brady could see her clutch to her tome tightly. "I-I'm a dark mage. I can handle myself."

Brady slapped his knee. "See? That's what we're worried about."

"Worried that I can take care of myself?"

"No. Worried that you still think you're fine. You clearly aren't."

Tharja glared at him. "What do you know? How would you know how I feel?"

Brady rubbed his head. "My dad's a dark mage. I picked up a thing or two from him."

"Henry? He taught you the arts?"

Shaking his head, Brady said, "Not much... But he taught me enough to be able to feel the aura off of a person."

Tharja didn't say anything.

"And I know, Tharja. Ever since Robin died, the hole in your heart only expanded. I can feel that empty presence even before I see you."

Tharja stared at him for a long time.

"You'd make a very good dark mage."

Brady was speechless as the blood drained from his face yet again. He wasn't sure whether he should have taken it as a compliment or not. He rarely received compliments... And Tharja barely ever gave out compliments to begin with.

"I think I'd rather be a war monk thanks..."

Tharja didn't respond. Instead, her attention lied elsewhere. Somewhere in the dark of the night. Brady raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Tharja. Something catch your attention?"

She briefly looked at him. "Don't you smell it?"

"Smell what?"

"If you really are Henry's son, you'd be able to smell it from a mile away."

When he actually thought about, Brady did smell something different in the air other than the greenery around him. It had a metallic smell but it was faint. But as the time went by, the smell seemed to get closer and stronger. Then Brady recognized it.

"This is..."

Tharja nodded.

"It's blood."

The scent was coming from the front of him. And as he listened carefully, he could hear footsteps and the rustling of bushes. Whatever it was, it wasn't taking the dirt road. Rather, it seemed to be taking the shrubbery on the sides of the road as cover. And also-

"Is that you Brady?"

Brady froze. The deep voice came from his right. He turned and met eyes with the one who spoke. His jaw dropped.

A deep cut ran down his chest, his myrmidon armor cracked and shattered in several places. His cloth shirt was drenched with blood, nearly shredded to mere threads of fabric. His sword sheath was empty, his sword held one arm behind his back. He was breathing heavily.

"Lon'qu?!" Brady exclaimed. "What the hell happened?!"

Lon'qu shook his head. "What happened is trivial. You're a priest, right?"

"Er, a war monk actually... But yeah."

"Then I need your help."

"Okay." Brady said, nodding. He armed himself with his stave. "Ya better take off your armor first."

"No."

"Huh?! I thought you wanted me to-"

"Not me." Lon'qu said. He then pulled something out from his backside... Someone actually. He held her carefully his arms.

"You need to heal her."

Brady didn't ask questions. He simply nodded his head and started his work. He set his staff down and first undid her padded armor. Or at least tried to. Tharja had to help with unclipping most of the complicated portions. Soon, the armor came off. Brady winced at what he saw.

"Gods..."

There was a running cut from Cordelia's shoulder blade down to her abdomen. At initial glance, Brady concluded that the wound wasn't too deep but would be a incredibly severe issue if not treated immediately. He picked up his staff and immediately started to treat her. A dim green light radiated from the staff and Cordelia. Brady looked over at Tharja.

"Go get Libra." He said, urgency in his voice. "This isn't something I can handle on my own."

She nodded and ran off, her mage robes flapping in the breeze.

Brady focused all his energy into his healing. He could feel the strain in his arms but he knew he had to persist. He had to stop the bleeding but the cut was too big. He had to close up the wound a little bit at a time. Brady felt a trickle of sweat run from his forehead. He gritted his teeth. Cordelia's life force continued to beat but with each interval, it got slightly weaker and weaker.

Brady cursed under his breath. He was a healer but he was always a step or two behind everyone else. He could handle cuts and bruises but full on sword slashes were a bit of a stretch. These kind of wounds were something someone with Lissa's calibur could handle, not him. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. He was going to his damn very well best.

"I never should have made her hide there..."

Brady looked up at Lon'qu. He stood a several steps away from the two. He hung his head low, blood dripping from a gash in his face. From where he was, Brady thought that the blood fell like teardrops. Perhaps they were.

"I know it ain't' the right place to ask, but what the hell happened?" Brady asked, his eyes shifting back to his work. Cordelia's breathing had stabilized and much of the wound had closed. Cordelia's life was beyond the danger zone now. Her life wasn't in immediate danger but that didn't mean Brady should neglect healing. He exerted more power from his staff. His arms were becoming numb. Brady shook the feeling off and continued healing.

"Guards came out when we least expected it." Lon'qu said, clenching his jaw. "I made her hide in the shadow of a tent... But that was a mistake..."

Brady nodded. "But you saved her... If she were to sustain another wound like this, she wouldn't have made it... And that's all that matters at this point."

Lon'qu didn't say any more. He simply kept his eyes on his wife.

"What's going on here?"

Brady briefly turned around. Tharja had arrived with both Libra and Chrom.

"Oh thank the Gods." Brady muttered. "Libra, I need your help."

"Brady, I can't interfere with the healing magic. If we fuse two separate power sources, there might be detrimental side effects."

"Just shaddup and help me will ya?!"

Libra knelt down next to Brady and started his healing process. Brady felt the heavy weight he had oppressing on his arms suddenly disappear and saw the Cordelia's wound heal at a even faster rate. Brady glanced up and saw Lon'qu explain the situation to Chrom. Brady saw the ominous look that spread over the Captain's face. Then, a fire ignited in Chrom's eyes.

Chrom looked over at Tharja. "Go get everyone. It's time to move out."

Brady felt as if he heard something wrong. "Wait, what captain?"

"You saw what happened to Lon'qu and Cordelia." Chrom said. "We can't afford to waste any more time if we are to save everyone else."

"But the healing-"

"It's finished." Libra said, standing up and dusting his hands. "Cordelia will be better soon."

"Wha-?!"

"Good." Chrom said, nodding his head.

"I can fight as well." Lon'qu said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. Brady had never actually seen Lon'qu in such a blood-rage.

"Lon'qu, you are in no condition to fight!" Brady exclaimed, standing up. "If you fight in that state, you'll only get yourself killed!"

"I-I..." Lon'qu said, his eye twitched. It seemed as if the pain of his wounds started to kick in. His face contorted slightly due to the sheer pain but he composed himself. "I can fight."

Chrom shook his head. "I have to agree with Brady on this one. Lon'qu, think about it for a moment. In that state, you'll only slow the operation down. You have to sit this one out."

Brady held his breath. How would the enraged swordsman respond? The moment felt like an eternity. Lon'qu stared at Chrom.

"As you wish."

Brady let out a relieved sigh. That was one less person to heal for serious wounds.

Chrom looked over at Brady. "Heal Lon'qu and send him to camp with Cordelia. They've earned the rest."

Brady nodded. "Yessir."

"Be sure to join us after you are finished. We'll need every hand we can get without expending too much of our main force."

Brady picked up his staff and began to tend to Lon'qu's wounds. The green light shimmered in the darkness. He looked up and saw Chrom rallying the troops he had at hand and setting off. Soon, the strike force was out of sight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brady had moved everyone to the campfire. Lon'qu limped his way there while Brady carried Cordelia on his back. He gently set her down on a cot left behind by Sir Frederick. She hadn't woken up for a while but her vitals were doing fine. Her heartbeat was regular and her breathing wasn't labored. She had made it through.

Lon'qu sat down on a charred stump and took off the remaining armor he wore on himself. There wasn't much left to take off.

Brady contiuned his healing, tending to all the cuts and gashes that lined Lon'qu's chest and back. There were too many to count.

"Do ya think everyone else is alright?" Brady asked, amidst his healing. "Everyone on the recon team, I mean."

Lon'qu glanced back at Brady. "Morgan is Robin's daughter. She'll handle herself just fine. Lucina too... She bested me after all."

Brady chuckled. "I heard from your Severa that Lucina beat you because your realized she was a woman and not a man."

Although he couldn't see it, Brady could tell Lon'qu was a bit embarassed by his quick turning around.

"How did you find out she was a woman at first glance?" Brady asked, curious. "I mean, with her short hair, mask, not to mention her nickname... She fits the appearance of guy quite well."

Lon'qu looked at Brady, his eyes bore in to his own. "I'll tell you... But you don't tell ANYONE this, understand?"

Brady gulped. He nodded.

"When Khan Basilio introduced me to Lucina, he ordered us to fight, trying to see who was the keener swordsman."

"Yeah, even Lucina told us that much."

"When I unsheathed my sword, I rushed her, seeing the gaping holes in her swordplay defense... That is, until I tripped."

Brady raised an eyebrow, his scar shifting along with his skin. "So... Yer tellin' me that once you hit the dirt you realize that Lucina was a guy?"

Lon'qu glared at him. "You're quite thick-headed, aren't you Brady?"

He shrugged. "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer they all say..."

"I can see that."

"Anyway, continue."

"As I was saying, I tripped over a stray root or maybe even a rock... And when I fell..."

"Uh-huh?"

"I landed on Lucina's chest."

"Now yer tellin' me that you face-planted yourself in Lucina's breasts... Right?"

Lon'qu nodded.

Brady sighed. "Must've hurt your nose... Kinda like running face-first into a board, huh?"

Lon'qu looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"

"Well!" Brady said, his face turning a bit red. "Lucina is an alright gal... But when it comes to the bust department... She ain't got much..."

Lon'qu turned bright red. "C-Can we stop talking about small breasts...?"

"What about small breasts?"

Lon'qu and Brady, both alarmed, quickly looked around, trying to find the person who spoke.

"I'm right here..."

They both stared at the cot that lay near the fire. Cordelia was awake.

She didn't look amused.

"Oh! Heya Cordelia!" Brady exclaimed. "I was just talking to Lon'qu about his defeat against Lucina."

Brady could feel a stare of death coming from his side.

Cordelia looked at them, confused. "How do small breasts have anything to with his loss?"

Brady shrugged. "Eh... You could ask him yourself... How ya feeling though?"

"I've been better..." Cordelia said, rubbing her bandaged abdomen. "Wait! Where's my armor?!"

Brady shrugged. "It's shattered beyond pieces at this point. You've sustained a massive wound."

Cordelia's hands instinctively went to her chest, her arms wrapped around her breasts. She turned bright red. "Then you must have seen-"

"Relax..." Brady said, waving his hand. "It was too dark to see anything anyway..."

"That's not reassuring at all."

"I'm glad you have small breasts." Lon'qu blurted.

Cordelia and Brady stared at Lon'qu strangely. Cordelia seemed taken aback.

"Wha-what?!"

Lon'qu himself seemed surprised as to what he said. "I-I... Uh... You see... Um..."

"Well, I'm done healing." Brady said. "You should feel better soon Lon'qu."

He didn't say anything. He was still in shock at the words that left his mouth.

"The camp is a little ways north from here. Just follow the dirt path and you'll get there in no time. Rest a little and be on your way."

"Th-thanks Brady." Cordelia said, her eyes still on the shaky Lon'qu.

"Just carryin' my weight around here. I gotta get goin' anyway."

Brady picked up his things and left. Soon, it was just Lon'qu and Cordelia. There was an awkward silence only filled by the flickering fire and the fluttering leaves. Lon'qu sat motionlessly on the stump and stared blankly into space.

"Lon'qu."

Lon'qu slightly glanced over at Cordelia. He had just noticed how tightly the bandages were pressed against her chest.

"How about you come sit next to me for a moment?"

He obliged and went over to Cordelia. He sat down on the cot and refrained from looking at her.

Suddenly, Lon'qu felt himself being pushed down onto the cot as Cordelia placed herself on top of him. She then brought down her lips onto his own. Eyes widening, he looked at Cordelia and slowly pushed her off his face.

"Cordelia, what are you doing?!"

She had a rather strange look on her face. "I don't know. You tell me Lon'qu. I thought you liked small breasts."

"I-Uh..." Lon'qu said, at a loss of words. "W-We can't being doing this! We're in the middle of an operation!"

"Awwhh..." Cordelia said, her hand unraveling at the bandages on her chest. "That's just too bad then... Oh well."

There was a brief silence between the two. The sound of fluttering bandages were heard as the last band was stripped away.

"Actually, I change my mind."

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"Libra, I remember you mentioning side effects when it came to the fusing of two separate healing processes... How bad can they get?"

"The personality of the individual getting healed might get flipped for a duration of a several hours."

"Really? How bad?"

"From a fleeting coward, to a rather-ahem!- aroused person."

"Oh, that bad?"

"Indeed."

"Well... It's Cordelia we're talking about... How bad can it be?"

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(A/N): Major delay. Sorry. Finals for school are interfering with my writing schedule... This was my first chapter to ever delve into the depths of... You know... Anyway, thanks for reading. I don't have much time to I'll be uploading this from mobile. Hopefully, you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more!

Until Next Time,

~SAYONARA~


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